OREANDA-NEWS. The Sustainable Gas Institute (SGI) launched their first major piece of research yesterday at London’s Imperial College.

The white paper provides a comprehensive review of the existing research on methane and carbon dioxide emissions from the natural gas supply chain. The SGI was founded in partnership with BG Group as the first collaborative centre for research, technology and education that aims to explore the role of natural gas in the future low carbon energy mix.
A panel of industry experts spoke at the launch event including: Professor David Allen of the University of Texas; Liz Rogers, VP Environment Upstream at BP; and Stephen Tindale of Climate Answers. They congratulated the SGI for an excellent report examining over 250 studies on how much methane and carbon dioxide is released in the natural gas supply chain and at what stages it can be minimised.

Whilst the report shows that the range of estimated methane emissions across the supply chain is vast, itprovides valuable insight for improving data confidence in methane emissions, for which there is currently a significant gap in knowledge. This research provides fresh evidence that GHGgreenhouse gas emissions generated for natural gas are well below typical GHG estimates of coal generated electricityis the lowest-carbon fossil fuel, when modern equipment and best management practices are used. It also concludes that emissions from the unconventional and conventional extraction natural gas supply chain are comparable as long as methane is captured rather than flared. The report has been welcomed by industry and academia, as it provides a comprehensive compilation of methane emission data, for which there is currently a significant gap in knowledge. The aim is that the report will serve as a crucial reference document on emissions for the gas industry, policy makers and academia.