Permian Methane Emissions Dropped 85 Percent in Last Decade: Study
Methane emission intensity in the Permian Basin decreased by almost 85 percent between 2011 and 2022, despite total oil and gas production increasing by over 416 percent.
Permian Methane Emissions Dropped 85 Percent in Last Decade: Study
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Rigzone Staff
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Thursday, December 28, 2023
Methane emission intensity in the Permian Basin decreased by almost 85 percent between 2011 and 2022, despite total oil and gas production increasing by over 416 percent.
That’s the assertion of a recent study from the trade association Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO) titled “Permian Basin Producers: Charting a Cleaner Energy Future 2023”.
Methane emission intensity in the Permian Basin dropped between 2011 and 2022, despite total oil and gas production increasing by over 416 percent.
Image by Sean Hannon via iStock
The study noted that, although 2022 was a “stand-out year” for record production with the Permian Basin producing nearly 5.4 million barrels of oil and 21.2 billion cubic feet per day, methane intensity actually dropped by more than 29 percent year over year. In 2022, the Permian reached its lowest methane intensity at 0.12 percent.
Flaring intensity in the Permian Basin decreased by 4.5 percent from 2021 to 2022 and by nearly 66 percent since the Basin experienced record flaring in 2019. Texas, where roughly 70 percent of Permian production occurs, also recorded significant decreases in flaring intensity: nearly 8 percent from 2021 to 2022 and nearly 60 percent since 2019, according to the study, which attributed the drop to increased natural gas takeaway capacity and a commitment from Texas producers to reduce and eliminate routine flaring.
According to monthly data from the Railroad Commission of Texas, there was an increase in production between January-September 2023, when compared to the same time frame in 2022. However, flaring intensity remained at 0.18 percent between 2022 and 2023, which implied that the majority of natural gas produced in the Permian Basin was being used, not flared. “In September 2023, the flaring rate was 0.91 percent, meaning more than 99 percent of gas produced in Texas was being beneficially used”, the study cited the Texas Railroad Commission as saying.
According to the study, “the Permian Basin stands apart from other global producers not only because of its prolific production but by remaining well below the flaring intensity of other global producers”. Compared to the Permian, flaring intensity was 915 percent higher in Russia and 242 percent higher in Venezuela in 2022, the study noted.
World Bank data showed that U.S. flaring decreased by 9 percent and flaring intensity dropped from 2.1 to 1.8 cubic meters per barrel in 2021-2022, while increasing oil production by almost 6 percent. Global gas flaring dropped by around three percent in 2022, the lowest level since 2010, led by the USA, Mexico and Nigeria, the study said, citing World Bank data.
The study also observed that the USA made the most progress in reducing emissions in the top 10 countries by flared volumes. From 2019 to 2022, the USA cut flared volumes by nearly 54 percent.
According to the study, Texas oil and gas producers are “proactively implementing technology and initiatives to reduce methane emissions”. The study outlined a list of programs that producers are actively participating in, with the industry actively collaborating with environmental organizations, universities, communities and policymakers. These include the Texas Methane & Flaring Coalition, composed of seven trade associations and over 40 Texas operators established to develop industry-led solutions designed to mitigate and reduce methane emissions and flaring; ONE Future, comprising 55 energy firms with a target of reducing methane emissions to one percent or less by 2025; and Environmental Partnership, a collaboration of U.S. energy producers investing in technologies and best practices for methane emission reduction.
The study was done by Texans for Natural Gas (TNG), a campaign managed by TIPRO. TNG is a grassroots organization that aims to give a voice to those who support Texas oil and natural gas production. Since its inception, TNG has attracted more than 400,000 supporters from across the state. Founded in 1946, TIPRO is a trade association representing the interests of nearly 3,000 independent oil and natural gas producers and royalty owners throughout Texas. As one of the nation’s largest statewide associations representing both independent producers and royalty owners, members include small businesses, the largest, publicly-traded independent producers, and mineral owners, estates, and trusts.
To contact the author, email rocky.teodoro@rigzone.com