Gazprom accepts blame for recent large methane plumes
Russia's Gazprom has acknowledged causing several recent large methane releases detected by satellite in Russia, Bloomberg reported on June 18, shining an unwelcome light on the gas supplier's emissions.
Methane is emitted into the atmosphere in far smaller quantities than CO2, but it is far more potent a greenhouse gas. A recent UNEP report concluded that reducing methane emissions would have a much more rapid impact than ongoing efforts to curb CO2 emissions, arguing that the greatest reductions could be made in the oil and gas sector.
A large methane leak earlier this month was detected in Russia with satellite data by geoanalytics firm Kayrros, and Gazprom confirmed to Bloomberg on June 4 that the cause was unscheduled pipeline repairs along the Urengoy-Center 1 pipeline. The company identified a problem at the pipeline in the Tatarstan region, and "given the urgency" of the situation, did not have time to deploy a mobile compressor station to reduce the methane released during repairs, it said.
Some 2.7mn m3 of methane was emitted, according to Gazprom. Kayrros estimated an emissions rate of 395 metric tons/hour, which would represent the biggest methane release in the oil and gas industry since September 2019. Kayrros has detected four other large methane plumes in Russia over the past month that Gazprom has taken responsibility for, according to Bloomberg.
Gazprom will have to pay fines for the releases under Russian regulations. But more significantly, the incidents could undermine the company's reputation among climate-conscious investors and buyers. Gazprom has boasted before that its measured and verified methane emissions are among the lowest in the gas industry – only 0.02% for production, 0.29% for transport and 0.03% for underground storage.
The recent releases come as the European Commission drafts plans to impose requirements on the European oil and gas companies to measure, report and verify their methane emissions and take action to reduce them. The expectation is that Brussels will apply these standards to third-party gas suppliers to the bloc like Gazprom.