Methane Corporates

A November 2022 briefing by Global Energy Monitor (GEM) identifies 30 fossil fuel companies responsible for 43% of the energy sector's global methane emissions. The analysis breaks down emissions by fuel sector (oil/gas and coal) and ownership type (national/state-owned vs. international/investor-owned), highlighting the disproportionate impact of a small number of large producers.

• Just 30 fossil fuel companies are responsible for 43% of the global methane emissions from the energy sector. These 30 companies, consisting of 19 oil and gas firms and 11 coal firms, emitted an estimated 54 million tons of methane, out of a total of 126 million metric tons emitted by coal, oil, and gas operations last year.
• The top 10 national oil and gas companies are responsible for one-third of global oil and gas methane emissions, emitting 25 million tons of methane (750 million tons CO2e100) annually. The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) is estimated to have the highest methane emissions of any oil and gas company, despite being only the third-largest by total extraction volume.
• The top 10 international, investor-owned oil and gas companies account for 13% of global oil and gas methane emissions, emitting 10 million tons of methane (307 million tons CO2e100) per year. These companies are headquartered in Europe, North America, and Russia.
• Ten state-owned coal enterprises are responsible for 41% of global coal mine methane emissions, totaling 18 million tons of methane (531 million tons CO2e100) per year. Nine of these top ten emitters are headquartered in China, with Coal India being the only non-Chinese firm in the group.
• The 10 largest investor-owned or privately owned coal companies emit nearly 5 million tons of methane per year (137 million tons CO2e100), representing nearly 11% of the coal industry's emissions. Some of these firms, such as Glencore and SUEK, emit more methane than certain oil and gas giants like Canadian Natural Resources.
• Methane emissions rates in the oil and gas sector vary significantly by country due to infrastructure age, operator type, and flaring practices. High-emission countries like Syria, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela release over 200 times more methane per unit of production than low-emission countries such as Norway and the Netherlands.
• The IEA estimates that oil and gas methane emissions must be reduced by 77% by 2030, falling from 80 million tons in 2020 to 18 million tons. Coal mine methane emissions need to be reduced by 75% (31 million tons) by 2030, though current country pledges to phase out coal power are expected to only achieve half of that goal (15 million tons).

APA

Global Energy Monitor (2022). Methane Corporates. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Methane-Corporates-Briefing-2022_FINAL_V3_11.pdf

Chicago

Global Energy Monitor. Methane Corporates. 2022. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Methane-Corporates-Briefing-2022_FINAL_V3_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Energy Monitor |title=Methane Corporates |date=November 2022 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Methane-Corporates-Briefing-2022_FINAL_V3_11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalenergymonitor2022methane, author = {{Global Energy Monitor}}, title = {{Methane Corporates}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Methane-Corporates-Briefing-2022_FINAL_V3_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }