Harmonization of initial estimates of shale gas life cycle greenhouse gas emissions for electric power generation

Heath, Garvin; O’Donoughue, Patrick; Arent, D. J.; Bazilian, Morgan

doi:10.1073/pnas.1309334111

Cited by 130 publications

(97 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…well pressure and permeability of the formation) and the energy market, which governs the economic feasibility of production [54]. Different estimates of gas well EUR range 3 orders of magnitude, from 2 million m 3 to 2,500 million m 3 [14,16,17,19,23,28,36,48,134,136]. This is a vital assumption within the estimation of life cycle, longitudinal emissions, as emissions are often expressed in relation to a volume of gas produced (e.g.…”

Section: Estimated Ultimate Recovery Of Wellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Natural Gas Supply Chain: The Importance of Methane and Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Balcombe

Anderson

Speirs

et al. 2016

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

128

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Natural gas is typically considered to be the cleaner-burning fossil fuel that could play an important role within a restricted carbon budget. Whilst natural gas emits less CO2 when burned than other fossil fuels, its main constituent is methane, which has a much stronger climate forcing impact than CO2 in the short-term. Estimates of methane emissions in the natural gas supply chain have been the subject of much controversy, due to uncertainties associated with estimation methods, data quality and assumptions used. This paper presents a comprehensive compilation of estimated CO2 and methane emissions across the global natural gas supply chain, with the aim of providing a balanced insight for academia, industry and policy makers by summarising the reported data, locating the areas of major uncertainty and identifying where further work is needed to reduce or remove this uncertainty. Overall, the range of documented estimates of methane emissions across the supply chain is vast amongst an aggregation of different geological formations, technologies, plant age, gas composition and regional regulation, not to mention differences in estimation methods. Estimates of combined methane and CO2 emissions ranged from 2 -42 g CO2 eq./ MJ HHV, whilst methane-only emissions ranged from 0.2% -10% of produced methane. The methane emissions at the extraction stage are the most contentious issue, with limited data available but potentially large impacts associated with well completions for unconventional gas, liquids unloading and also from the transmission stage. From the range of literature estimates, a constrained range of emissions was estimated that reflects the most recent and reliable estimates: total supply chain GHG emissions were estimated to be between 3.6 and 42.4 g CO2 eq./ MJ HHV, with a central estimate of 10.5. The presence of 'super emitters', a small number of facilities or equipment that cause extremely high emissions, is found across all supply chain stages creating a highly skewed emissions distribution. However, various new technologies, mitigation and maintenance approaches, and legislation are driving significant reductions in methane leakage across the natural gas supply chain.

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Section: Estimated Ultimate Recovery Of Wellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Natural Gas Supply Chain: The Importance of Methane and Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Balcombe

Anderson

Speirs

et al. 2016

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

128

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“…It is worth noting that a compounding effect is caused by the high demands for energy associated with transportation and electricity related to the extraction of shale oil and gas, which result in increased local and greenhouse gas emissions [37].…”

Section: Atmospheric Impacts and Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability lessons from shale development in the United States for Mexico and other emerging unconventional oil and gas developers

Castro-Alvarez

Marsters

Baridó

et al. 2018

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

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A B S T R A C TMexico's recent energy reform (2013) has provided the foundations for increased private participation in attempts to offset or reverse the country's continued decline in fossil fuel production. This country is currently on path to becoming a net energy importer by 2020. Conversely, in 2015, and for the first time in over 20 years, the United States (US) became a net oil exporter to Mexico. One of the strategies being pursued by Mexico to prevent an impending supply-demand energy imbalance is the development of shale resources using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques. Hence, an evaluation of the inherent risks associated with hydraulic fracturing is crucial for Mexico's energy planning and decision-making process. This paper draws lessons from the recent 'shale boom' in the US, and it analyzes and summarizes the environmental, social, economic, and community impacts that Mexico should be aware of as its nascent shale industry develops. The analysis seeks to inform mainly Mexican policy makers, but also academics, nongovernmental organizations, and the public in general, about the main concerns regarding hydraulic fracturing activities, and the importance of regulatory enforcement and community engagement in advancing sustainability. Furthermore, using the US as a case study, we argue that development of unconventional oil and gas resources in Mexico could lead to a short-term boom rather than to a dependable and sustainable long-term energy supply. Our analysis concludes with a set of recommendations for Mexico, featuring best practices that could be used to attenuate and address some of the impacts likely to emerge from shale oil and gas development.

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“…Life cycle assessments associated with natural gas production typically focus on power generation [2][3][4][5][6] and often assume that new natural gas-fired generation will displace coal-fired power plants [7][8][9]. To be sure, such displacement has enabled lower emissions in the US power sector [10].…”

Section: Natural Gas As a Transition Fuelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whatever happened to the Golden Age of natural gas?

Boersma

Jordaan²

2017

Energy Transit

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Recent technology innovation in the natural gas industry has powered a shale gas boom, enabling the narrative that natural gas is a transition fuel to a low-carbon future. However, this narrative has not manifested itself uniformly around the world and, more fundamentally, it must be tested and revised periodically to reflect rapidly changing market, supply chain, and environmental realities. The growth in production has put downward pressure on prices, incentivized increased consumption and trade in the coming years, leading to the coming of age of the global market for liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG from areas with high levels of production can increasingly respond to demand growth elsewhere; however, questions about infrastructure availability, competition with other energy sources, and end use blur our understanding about environmental outcomes. New markets for natural gas face new medium and long-term challenges through capital investments in long-term infrastructure which creates a risk of displacing lower carbon options and prolonging higher emitting facilities. We explore the narrative of natural gas as a transition fuel, and how it has thus far manifested itself in various key markets. The United States is our region of focus on the supply side due to the recent shale gas boom and emission reductions from the coal-to-gas transition in the power sector. We make reference to producing regions involved in the international trade of liquefied natural gas. Questions related to demand from the European Union, OECD Asia, and parts of non-OECD Asia are discussed. China and India-representing the centers of prolific anticipated demand growth-are discussed in terms of challenges to domestic supply growth and competing environmental and political objectives.

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Harmonization of initial estimates of shale gas life cycle greenhouse gas emissions for electric power generation

Cited by 130 publications

References 34 publications

The Natural Gas Supply Chain: The Importance of Methane and Carbon Dioxide Emissions

The Natural Gas Supply Chain: The Importance of Methane and Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Sustainability lessons from shale development in the United States for Mexico and other emerging unconventional oil and gas developers

Whatever happened to the Golden Age of natural gas?

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