Satellite Analysis Shows Repeat Permian Methane Emitters
- Compressor stations account for majority of observed releases
- Four operators were likely responsible for most super-emitters
A new law charges large oil and gas companies for excessive methane emissions, beginning at $900 per metric ton this year and increasing to $1,200 a ton next year and $1,500 after that.
Photographer: Daniel Acker/BloombergA handful of oil and gas operators that process, store and transport natural gas in the Permian Basin may be responsible for the lion’s share of major emissions events there, according to an analysis of satellite data by BloombergNEF.
Assets operated by West Texas Gas, Enterprise Products Partners LP, Energy Transfer LP and Targa Resources Corp., or their subsidiaries, were likely responsible for the majority of methane releases with estimated emissions rates of 100 kilograms an hour or more — so-called super-emitters — observed in the nine months through February of this year.