Evaluating Operator Performance with Respect to CH4 Emissions from Oil and Gas Production in the Permian Basin

Abstract:

Global budgets indicate that methane (CH₄) is responsible for ~25% of the observed anthropogenic warming and emissions are continuing to increase. Owing to its short atmospheric lifetime of ~9 years, mitigation of anthropogenic CH₄ emissions remains one of the most effective pathways for limiting near term climate warming. This is especially apparent within the industry segment of upstream oil and gas production where flaring, direct venting and abnormal operating conditions account for the vast majority of site-level emissions; the stochastic nature of many of these events require frequent monitoring to effectively identify and mitigate. We utilize aircraft measurements to quantify CH₄ emissions from oil and gas operations within clusters of well pads operated by a single company. A multivariate statistical regression is used to compare the relative performance of individual oil and gas operators with respect to their production normalized CH₄ emissions in the US Permian Basin. This metric of climate impact will be integrated with industry knowledge to develop effective mitigation approaches with the aim of dramatically reducing CH₄ emissions associated with oil and gas production.