Study will measure methane leakage during natural gas operations

Published October 11, 2012 in Energy

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Of all the fossil fuels, natural gas burns the cleanest when combusted. But throughout natural gas operations, uncombusted methane can escape and enter the atmosphere — undermining the potential climate benefits if the leakage rate is too high.

What's been unclear is precisely how much methane is escaping. The lack of data has caused many to ask: What's the true climate impact? Is it really the best option among fossil fuels?

An ongoing research effort, led by the University of Texas at Austin, will examine this issue directly, helping to reduce the amount of uncertainty around methane leakage rates by taking direct measurements. EDF is one of 10 partners working on the research.

"If we want natural gas to be an accepted part of a strategy for improving energy security and moving to a clean energy future, it is critical for all of us to work together to quantify and reduce methane emissions as may be appropriate," said Mark Brownstein, chief counsel to EDF's national energy program and head of EDF's natural gas efforts. "Such a strategy could yield enormous environmental and health benefits."

More on the study:

• EDF's Energy Exchange blog: New study to provide important, direct measurement data on methane emissions from natural gas production
• UT press release: University of Texas at Austin study measures methane emissions released from natural gas production