Report: Methane emissions by interstate pipelines, storage facilities slashed By EPN Staff Methane emissions from interstate natural gas transmission and storage facilities decreased significantly in 2022 from the prior year, according to a newly released Climate Report by the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA). The report found total methane emissions were reduced from 271,583 metric tons in 2021 to 254,502 metric tons in 2022 among 19 of the trade association’s 21 member companies, which represent 56% of all interstate pipeline miles in service. Emissions intensity, measured as the amount of methane escaping from all pipes and equipment on a percentage basis, also fell from 0.087% in 2021 to 0.075% in 2022. Why it matters INGAA’s members include some of the biggest interstate natural gas transmission pipeline companies in North America. They operate more than 200,000 miles of pipeline, yet INGAA’s members represent about 1 percent of all methane emissions in the U.S. Since the association issued its climate commitments (2019 – 2022), member companies have decreased methane emissions from transmission compressor stations at a level equivalent to removing more than 416,000 passenger vehicles from the road, according to EPA’s GHG equivalent calculator. How it happened Member companies have prioritized environmental protection and modernized operational infrastructure. The reductions were the result of improved blowdown practices at compressor stations, lessening the line pressure before planned maintenance of pipelines, and better surveying of leaks along pipelines, storage wellheads, compressor stations and metering stations. The companies also reported improvements at detecting and fixing defects at storage wells. Yes, but The highest remaining sources of methane emissions were from transmission blowdowns and venting, fugitive emissions from compressor stations and centrifugal compressor dry seals. Moving forward Progress on methane reductions should continue with attention on replacing older equipment with newer technology and using best practices to reduce or even eliminate methane emissions from pneumatic controllers. This includes routing vented natural gas into recovery systems at compressor stations, conducting leak surveys and limiting facility blowdowns by deploying recompression units. INGAA initiated its Climate Report last year in an effort to increase transparency of members’ practices, track progress, and establish a consistent methodology and baseline to measure performance. Read the full report: https://ingaa.org/ingaa-2024-climate-report/
