Quantifying cost-­‐effectiveness of systematic Leak Detection and Repair Programs using Infrared cameras

The report analyzes data from 4,293 surveys to determine the economic viability of LDAR programs. It finds that while many individual facilities may face a net cost for a survey, the aggregate effect across a group of facilities is positive due to the high value of repairing major leaks. The study concludes that LDAR using IR cameras is a low-cost abatement method for methane and VOCs, with the most economic strategy being to repair almost all identified leaks.

• The vast majority of identified leaks are economically viable to repair once detected, with over 90% of gas emissions coming from leaks that have a payback period of less than one year.
• At an individual facility level, the majority of LDAR programs result in a negative net present value (NPV), meaning they are a net cost. This is particularly true for well sites and batteries due to lower leak rates. However, the net cost is relatively low, with no studied program having an NPV lower than -8,000 USD per survey.
• From an aggregate perspective, LDAR programs are cost-effective because the net gains from high-emission facilities outweigh the net costs of low-emission ones. Gas processing plants and compressor stations show negative abatement costs (positive NPV) in the base case scenario.
• Increasing the frequency of surveys reduces remaining emissions but increases abatement costs. Moving from annual to quarterly surveys reduces remaining emissions by 68%, with aggregate abatement costs remaining below 15 USD/tCO2e and 800 USD/tVOC.
• The most economic and environmentally effective strategy is to repair almost all identified leaks. Implementing economic or emission thresholds to decide which leaks to repair provides only marginal economic improvement and reduces emission reductions.

APA

Saunier, S., Haugland, T., & Pederstad, A. (2013). Quantifying cost-­‐effectiveness of systematic Leak Detection and Repair Programs using Infrared cameras. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093339/CATF-Carbon_Limits_Leaks_Interim_Report.pdf

Chicago

Saunier, Stephanie, Torleif Haugland, and Anders Pederstad. Quantifying cost-­‐effectiveness of systematic Leak Detection and Repair Programs using Infrared cameras. Clean Air Task Force, 2013. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093339/CATF-Carbon_Limits_Leaks_Interim_Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Saunier |first1=Stephanie |last2=Haugland |first2=Torleif |last3=Pederstad |first3=Anders |title=Quantifying cost-­‐effectiveness of systematic Leak Detection and Repair Programs using Infrared cameras |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=24 December 2013 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093339/CATF-Carbon_Limits_Leaks_Interim_Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{saunier2013quantifying, author = {Saunier, Stephanie and Haugland, Torleif and Pederstad, Anders}, title = {{Quantifying cost-­‐effectiveness of systematic Leak Detection and Repair Programs using Infrared cameras}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2013}, month = dec, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093339/CATF-Carbon_Limits_Leaks_Interim_Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }