Methane emissions intensity in the Permian Basin has declined over 70 percent the past eight years as oil production more than tripled over the same period, according to an analysis by Texans for Natural Gas (TNG), a project of the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO).
Flaring intensity in the United States – and the Permian Basin specifically – is significantly lower than what is found in other major energy producing countries. Venezuela’s flaring intensity was 7.7 times higher than the United States. Russia, the world’s second largest natural gas producer, has a flaring intensity rate 1.5 times higher than the United States.
n 2019, Permian methane intensity declined, while oil and gas production reached new records. In 2020, the French government canceled a long-term, $7 billion contract that would have imported liquified natural gas (LNG) from the United States, claiming U.S. LNG imports were a major source of methane emissions. The actions are part of a larger trend – several European countries have made similar statements suggesting U.S. LNG has an unfavorable environmental profile. However, a closer look at methane emissions intensity shows that U.S. natural gas from the Permian Basin is a greener option than other suppliers for Europe. The United States has made significant progress in reducing methane emissions intensity over the past eight years. In fact, between 2011 and 2019, methane emissions intensity fell 77%.
According to a study from the analysts of Rystad Energy suggested that only 1.6% of the basin’s gas production was flared in the fourth quarter of 2020 and was at its lowest level of the shale era.