Royal Dutch Shell’s head of integrated gas, Maarten Wetselaar, during the IP Week, said that the European Union should incorporate a “methane performance” standard in its upcoming emission legislation proposal. The inclusion of the methane standard will ensure that EU member states only import natural gas from producers with similar policies on tackling methane emissions. This legislation will also enable the EU to take a major role in reducing methane emissions from upstream operations.
Methane is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide in its first 20 years in the atmosphere. Data from the International Energy Agency (EIA) showed that global oil and gas operations released about 72 million tons of methane into the atmosphere in 2020. EIA said that Russia, the US, Iran, and Turkmenistan, were among the largest methane emitters in the world.
In October 2020, the European Commission published a strategy to curb methane emissions which includes flaring reduction and methane leak detection and repair by the energy sector. The strategy also includes the EU engaging with gas-producing countries on best practices for slashing methane emissions. The commission plans to work on legislative proposals for the strategy this year.
