Coal seam gas industry methane emissions in the Surat Basin, Australia: comparing airborne measurements with inventories

Coal seam gas (CSG) accounts for about one-quarter of natural gas production in Australia and rapidly increasing amounts globally. This is the first study worldwide using airborne measurement techniques to quantify methane (CH4) emissions from a producing CSG field: the Surat Basin, Queensland, Australia. Spatially resolved CH4 emissions were quantified from all major sources based on top-down (TD) and bottom-up (BU) approaches, the latter using Australia's UNFCCC reporting workflow. Based on our TD-validated BU inventory, CSG sources emit about 0.4% of the produced gas, comparable to onshore dry gas fields in the USA and The Netherlands, but substantially smaller than in other onshore regions, especially those where oil is co-produced (wet gas). The CSG CH4 emission per unit of gas production determined in this study is two to three times higher than existing inventories for the region. Our results indicate that the BU emission factors for feedlots and grazing cattle need review, possibly requiring an increase for Queensland's conditions. In some subregions, the BU estimate for gathering and boosting stations is potentially too high. The results from our iterative BU inventory process, which feeds into TD data, illustrate how global characterization of CH4 emissions could be improved by incorporating empirical TD verification surveys into national reporting.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Rising methane: is warming feeding warming? (part 1)'.

Automated summary

Coal seam gas (CSG) accounts for a significant portion of natural gas production in Australia, and this study in the Surat Basin reveals that CSG methane emissions per unit of gas production are higher than previously estimated, indicating a need for further review and refinement of existing emission inventories. Prioritizing TD verification surveys could enhance global characterization of methane emissions.