Establishing Measures to Achieve Near-Zero Methane Waste from Global Oil and Gas Assets

The briefing proposes a dual-metric approach to track methane emissions in the oil and gas sector, noting that a single metric cannot fairly assess the diverse physical and chemical makeups of petroleum resources. It highlights the economic viability of capturing wasted gas and calls for policy-driven demand to incentivize low-methane production.

• A comprehensive assessment of global oil and gas methane intensities requires two distinct metrics because assets primarily producing gas have different intensity profiles than those primarily producing oil. The 'gas loss rate' measures the share of gas emitted compared to gas sold, while 'volumetric methane intensity' calculates the mass of methane in kilograms per barrel oil equivalent (boe) throughput.
• Methane intensity varies significantly both between and within countries. For instance, Norway exhibits a low average methane intensity and a small range between assets, whereas Algeria and Russia show both high average intensities and a large range between their assets.
• Capturing wasted gas is often economically viable due to the value of gas as a global commodity, particularly in Europe and Asia where prices are approximately five times higher than in the United States. According to the International Energy Agency, between 50 percent and two-thirds or more of wasted gas can be cost-effectively captured.
• Methane intensity is becoming a critical benchmark for various market and policy actors, including insurance companies using it for underwriting guidelines, banks, investors, and the EU methane regulations.

APA

RMI (2025). Establishing Measures to Achieve Near-Zero Methane Waste from Global Oil and Gas Assets. https://rmi.org/resources/establishing-measures-to-achieve-near-zero-methane-waste-from-global-oil-and-gas-assets/

Chicago

RMI. Establishing Measures to Achieve Near-Zero Methane Waste from Global Oil and Gas Assets. 2025. https://rmi.org/resources/establishing-measures-to-achieve-near-zero-methane-waste-from-global-oil-and-gas-assets/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Establishing Measures to Achieve Near-Zero Methane Waste from Global Oil and Gas Assets |date=22 October 2025 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/establishing-measures-to-achieve-near-zero-methane-waste-from-global-oil-and-gas-assets/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2025establishing, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Establishing Measures to Achieve Near-Zero Methane Waste from Global Oil and Gas Assets}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/establishing-measures-to-achieve-near-zero-methane-waste-from-global-oil-and-gas-assets/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }