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

This briefing by RMI argues for the adoption of two complementary methane intensity metrics—gas loss rate and volumetric methane intensity—to accurately track and reduce methane waste across the diverse global oil and gas supply chain. It highlights the variability of emissions across different asset types and countries and suggests that demand-side policies in major markets could accelerate the transition to low-leakage production.

• To comprehensively assess methane waste across the oil and gas sector, two distinct metrics are required: the gas loss rate and volumetric methane intensity. The gas loss rate is the "share of gas emitted compared to gas sold (or gas throughput)", while volumetric methane intensity is the "mass (kilograms) of methane per barrel oil equivalent (boe oil and gas) throughput". These metrics function differently depending on the asset type; while gas assets show a close relationship between the two, there is "no relationship between these independent metrics for assets that are primarily oil", and the gas loss rate is not applicable for oil assets with little to no gas.
• Methane intensity varies significantly based on the type of petroleum resource and the location of the release. Assets that primarily produce gas and those that produce oil with associated gas both contribute a "significant share of their emissions intensity from methane waste". Furthermore, the methane content of a release depends on its position in the system: releases closer to the wellhead have lower methane content due to impurities, whereas those closer to distribution and end use have higher methane content because "heavier hydrocarbons and impurities have been removed".
• Methane intensities differ greatly by country, both in average levels and the range of performance between assets. Norway is cited as having "both very low average methane intensity and a small range" between assets, whereas Algeria and Russia are described as having "both high average methane intensities and a large range" between their assets.
• Capturing wasted gas is often economically viable, particularly given that gas prices in Europe and Asia are "roughly five times greater than in the United States". According to the International Energy Agency, between "50 percent and as much as two-thirds or more of wasted gas is cost-effective to capture", depending on the gas price.

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} }