Gas Lifecycle Methane Emissions, Richards Bay Review

The report argues that natural gas is more damaging to the climate than coal over a 20-year period due to potent methane leaks throughout its lifecycle. It highlights that 'top-down' measurements using satellites and aircraft reveal significantly higher emissions than traditional 'bottom-up' estimates. The author notes that shale gas and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) further increase these emissions, making gas expansion incompatible with a livable climate. This analysis is applied to the proposed Richards Bay power plant, which may source gas from the Karoo basin or via LNG imports from the US or Australia.

• Natural gas has a greater climate impact than coal per unit of energy produced when measured over a 20-year timeframe, primarily because it releases potent methane through leaks and venting throughout its lifecycle.
• Shale gas production is more problematic for the climate than conventional gas, with a volume-weighted average upstream emission rate of 3.3% for six major shale gas fields; this contributed to an estimated 40% of the global increase in methane between 2005 and 2015.
• Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) increases greenhouse gas emissions compared to regular shale gas due to the energy required for liquefaction and potential methane 'boil off' during transport, resulting in a penalty of approximately 20% in CO2 emissions per MJ.
• The proposed Richards Bay 3000 MW CCPP is likely to rely on shale gas from the Karoo basin or LNG imports from the United States, Australia, or other African nations like Angola, Algeria, or Namibia.
• Methane is 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide on a 20-year timescale, and current global methane emissions are contributing as much to global warming over the next 20 years as total global carbon dioxide emissions.

APA

Howarth, R. W. (n.d.). Gas Lifecycle Methane Emissions, Richards Bay Review. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/FA-12-Howarth-RichardsBayReview.pdf

Chicago

Howarth, Robert W. Gas Lifecycle Methane Emissions, Richards Bay Review. Natural Justice, n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/FA-12-Howarth-RichardsBayReview.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Howarth |first1=Robert W. |title=Gas Lifecycle Methane Emissions, Richards Bay Review |publisher=Natural Justice |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/FA-12-Howarth-RichardsBayReview.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{howarthndgas, author = {Howarth, Robert W.}, title = {{Gas Lifecycle Methane Emissions, Richards Bay Review}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/FA-12-Howarth-RichardsBayReview.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }