Latest news with #methane
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Methane Emissions Intensity of Permian Basin Declined by More than Half in Two Years, New S&P Global Commodity Insights Analysis Finds
New analysis provides the most accurate public, basin-wide estimate of methane emissions for the Permian HOUSTON, July 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The methane intensity of oil and gas production in the Permian Basin—an area responsible for half of U.S. oil production and one fifth of natural gas—declined by more than 50% during the 2022-2024 period as improved operations, better equipment and the utilization of AI and other advanced technologies led to reductions across all observable plume rates (large and small), according to a new analysis by S&P Global Commodity Insights. The latest data for the year 2024 show the methane emissions intensity of upstream oil and gas operations in the region to be 0.44% per barrel of oil equivalent—a 29% reduction from the previous year. Absolute annual 2024 methane emissions decreased by 21.3 billion cubic feet (bcf), a 22% decline from the previous year. Given that methane is a potent greenhouse gas, the reduction was equivalent to 11.1 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions avoided (100-year equivalency factor of 28*). Since the end of 2022, absolute emissions have declined by 55.2 bcf, equivalent to 28.8 MMT of carbon dioxide emissions avoided. To put the numbers into perspective, the 28.8 MMt CO2e reduction in absolute methane emissions over a two-year period was: Roughly equivalent to emissions from the nation of Lithuania 15% greater than the emissions avoided by all electric vehicles sold in the United States and the European Union 50% greater than the total emissions reductions in the UK power sector Equal to 2.2 billion trash bags recycled instead of landfilled Greater than the greenhouse gas emissions from cooling and heating all the homes in California The findings of the latest analysis for Permian upstream methane, produced in partnership with leading methane management firm Insight M, are based on high frequency observation data that include more than 500 high-resolution aerial surveys covering 90% of the basin's production to provide the most accurate, basin-wide estimate of methane emissions. "Access to reliable methane data is crucial to provide critical context to benchmark and allow companies to differentiate themselves and truly compete on carbon," said Kevin Birn, Head of the Center for Emissions Excellence, S&P Global Commodity Insights. "Whereas data quality still varies globally, improvements in access to reliable observation data in places like the Permian are leading the way and allow us to more credibly measure the impact of emissions mitigation efforts." The overflight data to which S&P Global Commodity Insights has access showed reductions across all observable plume rates, from large (1000+kg per hour) to small (10kg per hour) emissions. The continued emissions reductions occurred despite the relatively low commercial value of gas in the region, where the annual average price for those selling gas on the spot market was just $0.02 in 2024 due to oversupply and a lack of takeaway capacity. Consequently, the lost economic value (i.e. had the gas been captured and sold) from fugitive emissions equated to just 0.002% of total 2024 hydrocarbon revenues, the analysis reveals. The analysis attributes the continued breadth and depth of the emissions decline to ongoing improvements in equipment as well as increasing deployment of new technologies—from AI-driven analysis of operational data to on-the-ground sensors, aircraft overflights and satellites—that make it possible to detect leaks with greater speed and accuracy. "Methane emissions management is being increasingly normalized as part of field operations. It's becoming a standard and accepted part of the field staff's responsibilities," said Raoul LeBlanc, Vice President, Global Upstream, S&P Global Commodity Insights. "At the same time, oilfield service manufacturers are now producing equipment that includes emissions reduction as an important feature, and operators are increasingly utilizing AI and machine learning to not only 'find and fix' but 'predict and prevent' emissions." About the analysis Produced by S&P Global Commodity Insights Center for Emissions Excellence in partnership with Insight M, the Permian upstream methane analysis combines near-total coverage of the basin and high frequency observations to provide the most accurate public, basin-wide estimate of fugitive methane leaks and venting released to date. Frequency: The 2024 observed data is derived from roughly 529 survey flights which took place on 175 separate days spread over the course of the year. Coverage: 81.8% of the 161,000 active Permian wells, (78.5% of conventional wells and 88.6% of unconventional wells) Assets supplying 90.0% of the 3.9 billion boe produced in 2024. Resolution: Overflights offer a level of resolution that is up to 5 times greater than that of satellites, providing reliable attribution not only by facility, but in most cases to specific assets or pieces of equipment. Threshold: Measurements taken detect emissions as low as the range of 50-10 kg/hr depending on the specific overflight. These observed volumes account for more than 68% of total methane released to the atmosphere from upstream oil and gas operations. The volumes from all sources below this threshold were estimated using the Rutherford model developed by Stanford University and included in the totals used in the analysis. More information on the methodology employed by Insight M can be found here. Global Warming Potential Factor: S&P Global Commodity Insights conversion of methane to CO2 equivalency are based on a Global Warming Potential (GWP) factor for 100 years of 28 tons of CO2 per ton of methane. Using the 20-year factor of 86 would thus increase both the emissions reduction and the continuing emissions to 3.07 times the figures cited in this report. * Compared with a ton of CO2, a ton of methane (CH4) absorbs more energy and thus has a greater impact on earth's warming. However, methane stays in the atmosphere for only about a decade, whereas CO2 persists for hundreds of years. When looked at on a 100-year basis, methane thus has a Global Warming Potential of 27-30 times that of the same mass of CO2. Media Contacts: Jeff Marn +1-202-463-8213, Americas: Kathleen Tanzy + 1 917-331-4607, Melissa Tan + 65-6597-6241, About S&P Global Commodity InsightsAt S&P Global Commodity Insights, our complete view of global energy and commodity markets enables our customers to make decisions with conviction and create long-term, sustainable value. We're a trusted connector that brings together thought leaders, market participants, governments, and regulators and we create solutions that lead to progress. Vital to navigating commodity markets, our coverage includes oil and gas, power, chemicals, metals, agriculture, shipping and energy transition. Platts® products and services, including leading benchmark price assessments in the physical commodity markets, are offered through S&P Global Commodity Insights. S&P Global Commodity Insights maintains clear structural and operational separation between its price assessment activities and the other activities carried out by S&P Global Commodity Insights and the other business divisions of S&P Global. S&P Global Commodity Insights is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI). S&P Global is the world's foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help many of the world's leading organizations navigate the economic landscape so they can plan for tomorrow, today. For more information visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE S&P Global Commodity Insights Sign in to access your portfolio
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Leaking historic gas well in Bonnyville, Alta., being decommissioned due to safety concerns
The Orphan Well Association has begun decommissioning a leaking historic gas well in Bonnyville after methane was found in several homes. A drilling rig has been set up in the area of the 4500 block of 46th Avenue of the town about 240 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. "[The well] was decommissioned in 1954 but the standards have changed, and so we've purchased a number of homes. They've been demolished, and we're bringing in a drilling rig to do the repair," association president Lars DePauw told CBC in an interview on Tuesday. As part of the process, two single-family homes and one duplex were demolished, DePauw said. "Methane obviously has some safety issues regarding to the explosive nature of the gas, and so we wanted to make sure that this was repaired adequately for the long term." A well leak was found in 2024 by Apex Utilities workers. After locating the leak, the wellbore was found and excavated, and a monitoring and mitigation program was put in place to check gas levels regularly. The association says it monitors methane levels in soil and homes near the well on a weekly basis. Mitigation systems have been installed in eight homes to capture any methane and vent it to the atmosphere. "When this issue came forward, we moved on it very quickly," DePauw said. The decommissioning involved the collaboration between the Alberta Energy Regulator, Apex Utilities, Alberta Health Services, The Town of Bonnyville and its fire department. CBC requested further comment from the Town of Bonnyville on the impact of the work on residents, but the town has not yet given a response. The well in Bonnyville was drilled by the now defunct licensee Trican Petro-Chemical Corporation in 1954. Shortly after, Alberta's Energy Regulator declared it to be an orphan well and tasked the association with decommissioning it. There are about 470,000 non-producing wells across Canada, most in Alberta but also in B.C. and Ontario. According to the association, there are 3,874 wells lined up to be decommissioned in Alberta. The rig in Bonnyvillie is expected to be on-site for two to three days to complete the work. Residents are being asked not to park along 46th Avenue during this time. Once work is completed, the association says it will monitor to see when methane is no longer detected in the soil near the well. Sean Carnahan is mayor of Calmar, Alta., about 50 kilometres south of Edmonton and said the town has dealt with its share of well clean-ups. Three homes in Calmar were demolished in 2010 after a leaking gas well was discovered in the community. Imperial Oil, the owner of that well, temporarily sealed it and negotiated with homeowners to buy their houses. "We have to be patient with one another. We have to recognize that the cleanup is necessary for the future of the community," Carnahan said.
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Families of Plum house explosion victims file lawsuits citing 4 companies for cause
Two years since the massive explosion that leveled homes in Plum's Rustic Ridge and killed six people, the cause of the tragedy has remained enveloped in mystery. The Allegheny County Fire Marshal's Office has yet to determine a cause of the blast on Aug. 12, 2023. But on Tuesday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, the families of those victims filed separate suits, alleging the explosion was the result of a build-up of methane escaping from a ruptured line nearby. The explosion leveled three homes and claimed the lives of Paul and Heather Oravitz, Casey and Keegan Clontz, Kevin Sebunia, and Michael Thomas. Their families now accuse four different companies — Penneco Oil and Gas, Peoples Natural Gas, the A.O. Smith Corporation and Grasinger Homes — of negligence for failing to foresee the likelihood of an explosion and failing to take action to prevent it. According to the court papers, pressure began building in a nearby gas line operated by Penneco in the weeks and months leading up to the explosion. The lawsuits allege the gas began escaping through a hole in the line and migrated into the basement of the Oravitz's home at 141 Rustic Ridge Drive. That day, Casey and Keegan Clontz went to check their water heater, which had been making noises, which the suit claims was the result of gas buildup in the basement. The gas ignited and the house exploded in a massive fireball. It killed the four people in the house and neighbors Sebunia and Thomas, who were nearby. The lawsuits say prior to the explosion, Penneco and Peoples knew of the excessive pressure in the line but did not vent it or replace a failing regulator. They fault the water heater manufacturer for not warning of the impact of outside gas, and cite Grasinger for building homes so close to gas lines. KDKA has reached out to Penneco, Peoples and Grasigner for comment on the lawsuits and has not received any response. The families are alleging negligence and seeking damages for pain and suffering. "There was a chain of events that occurred. At multiple different points along the way, steps could have been taken to have prevented this incident and prevented the deaths of these six people," said Benjamin Baer, who represents Cole and Taylor Oravitz, the son and daughter of Paul and Heather Oravitz. In reports at noon and 6 p.m., KDKA's Andy Sheehan speaks exclusively with Taylor Oravitz on her family's search for answers and attorneys who investigated the facts and filed this legal action this morning.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists extracted water and oxygen from moon dust using sunlight. Could it work on the lunar surface?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Soil excavated from the moon could be used to produce oxygen and methane, which could be used by lunar settlers for breathing and for rocket fuel. This is the conclusion of a team of scientists from China who have found a one-step method of doing all this. Whether it is economically viable, however, is up for debate. But the Chinese team thinks that it is. "The biggest surprise for us was the tangible success of this integrated approach," said team-member Lu Wang, who is a chemist from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in a statement. "The one-step integration of lunar water extraction and photothermal carbon dioxide catalysis could enhance energy utilization efficiency and decrease the cost and complexity of infrastructure development." They point out that studies have shown that transporting supplies from Earth to any future moon base would be expensive because the greater the mass of cargo, the harder a rocket has to work to launch into space. Studies have indicated that it would cost $83,000 to transport just one gallon of water from Earth to the moon, and yet each astronaut would be expected to drink 4 gallons of water per day. Fortunately, the moon has plentiful water, although it is not automatically apparent. Brought to the moon by impacts of comets, asteroids and micrometeoroids, and even by the solar wind, water lurks in permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles, trapped within minerals such as ilmenite. Extracting the water for drinking is relatively easy and there are numerous technologies that describe how this can be done, including heating the regolith by focusing sunlight onto it. However, the Chinese team has been able to take this one step further. "What's novel here is the use of lunar soil as a catalyst to crack carbon dioxide molecules and combine them with extracted water to produce methane," Philip Metzger, a planetary physicist from the University of Central Florida, told Metzger was not involved in the new research, but he is the co-founder of the NASA Kennedy Space Center's 'Swamp Works', a research lab for designing technologies for construction, manufacturing and mining on planetary (and lunar) surfaces. Methane would be more desirable than liquid hydrogen as a potential rocket fuel because it is easier to keep stable, thereby requiring less machinery and less cost to keep on the moon. Liquid methane, when mixed with oxygen as an oxidizer, is a potent rocket fuel. Many commercial companies such as China's Landspace are already launching methane-powered rockets. The water-bearing ilmenite is also a useful catalyst for reacting the water with carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and methane, and the Chinese team have developed a one-step process for doing so. First, they heat the regolith to 392 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) by focusing sunlight to release the water inside. Then, carbon dioxide such as that which could be breathed out by astronauts is added to the mix, causing the ilmenite to catalyze the reaction between the extracted water and the carbon dioxide. Researchers tested this process, known as photothermal catalysis, in the laboratory using a simulant based on samples of lunar regolith returned to Earth by China's Chang'e 5 mission (the lunar samples are far too previous to destroy in such experiments, which is why a simulant is used instead). While previous technologies have also been able to accomplish this, they required more steps and more machinery, and used a catalyst that would have to be transported up from Earth. This, the research team believe, makes their process more efficient and less expensive than the alternatives. However, Metzger is not wholly confident that it will work. For one thing, lunar regolith is a proficient thermal insulator, so heating a sample all the way through would not be easy. "The heat does not spread effectively deeper into the soil, and this greatly reduces the amount of water that can be produced in a given time," Metzger said. One option could be to 'tumble' the regolith, turning it over repeatedly so that the heat is more evenly applied, but this slows the extraction of water and increases the mechanical complexity of the process. In an environment where lunar dust gets into every nook and cranny, and where temperature fluctuations between night and day can be as great as 482 degrees Fahrenheit (250 Celsius), the risk of breakdown only increases as more moving parts enter the equation. "It may be doable, but more maturation of the technology is needed to show that it is actually competitive," said Metzger. There's also a problem with the application of carbon dioxide, something recognized by both the Chinese team and Metzger. Specifically, there's a question mark over whether astronauts could produce enough carbon dioxide through their normal exhalation. Metzger calculates that astronauts could only provide a tenth of the carbon dioxide required. Alternatively, carbon dioxide could be shuttled up from Earth, but this would rather defeat the purpose of the proposed technique, which was to develop a lot-cost means of obtaining water, oxygen and methane with resources largely already available on the moon. However, in the long-run, perhaps shipping some materials up from Earth will be beneficial. Metzger points out a similar experiment that used an exotic granular catalyst – nickel-on-kieselguhr (kieselguhr is a kind of sedimentary rock) – rather than lunar regolith. Metzger suspects that a material specifically designed to be a catalyst, such as nickel-on-kieselguhr, would be more efficient than lunar regolith. Plus, although it would be expensive to transport from Earth, the nickel-on-kieselguhr can be re-used so you would only need to transport it to the moon once. In a cost-benefit analysis, in the long term it might be more efficient to do this instead. Regardless, the research team has convincingly shown that using lunar regolith as a catalyst to produce fuel and water works. The next step is to show that the technology can be scaled up to sustain a base on the moon more efficiently than other techniques, and that it can operate in lunar conditions where the gravity is weaker, the temperature swings to large extremes, and there is intense radiation from space. "I think these are highly interesting results and there may be additional applications to use lunar soil as a photocatalyst," said Metzger. "More work will be needed to show whether this concept can be economically competitive. I am skeptical, but all good ideas have their detractors and you can never really know until somebody does the work to prove it." RELATED STORIES: — Water mining on the moon may be easier than expected, India's Chandrayaan-3 lander finds — Astronauts could mix moon dust with old satellites to make fuel — Scientists find hydrogen in Apollo moon rocks, suggesting astronauts can harvest lunar water There is certainly no immediate rush for the technology. With NASA's Artemis III mission, which aims to finally return astronauts to the surface of the moon in 2027 at the earliest, and funding made available for Artemis IV and V at some indeterminate time in the future, we're not yet in a position to build a permanent lunar base. However, the Artemis missions are the perfect opportunity to trial some of these technologies and will be greatly important for showing whether we really can live on the moon or not. The research was published on July 16 in the journal Joule. Solve the daily Crossword
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Turkmenistan's ‘Gateway to Hell' fire reduced after 50 years
Turkmenistan said last month it had significantly reduced a gas fire that has been raging for half a century at a site called the 'Gateway to Hell'. The fire has been burning in the Darvaza gas crater in the Karakum Desert since 1971. Soviet scientists accidentally drilled into an underground pocket of gas and lit it. Since then, the fire has been releasing a lot of methane. This gas contributes to climate change. Methane gas burns when fuel, oxygen and heat come together. These three things make up the fire triangle (see graphic). Officials said the fire – which has become the country's top tourist attraction – had been reduced threefold without specifying the time frame. 'Whereas before a huge glow from the blaze was visible from several kilometres away, hence the name 'Gateway to Hell', today only a faint source of combustion remains,' said Irina Luryeva, a director at the state-owned energy company Turkmengaz. Many wells have been drilled around the fire to capture methane, she said at an environmental conference in Ashgabat, the capital. Turkmenistan is one of the world's most closed countries. It is estimated to have the planet's fourth-largest gas reserves. The country is the biggest emitter of methane through gas leaks, according to the International Energy Agency. However, the nation's authorities deny this claim.
