Global Energy Sector Methane Emissions Estimated by using Facility-Level Satellite Observations

Methane emissions from energy sector facilities (oil, gas, and coal) represent a significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions with substantial mitigation potential. We estimate global 2023 methane emissions from energy sector point-sources using the high spatial resolution GHGSat satellite constellation. GHGSat detected 8.30±0.24 Mt yr-1 of methane emissions from 3,114 attributed emission sites. Detected O&G and coal emitting sites are found to be emitting 15% and 48% of the time, respectively, without significant continental variation. When comparing to the Global Fuel Exploitation Inventory (GFEIv3), GHGSat’s facility-level estimates comprise 12% of GFEIv3’s total emissions, or 24% over locations that GHGSat observed at least once, with good spatial correlation at the country scale but only weak spatial correlation at 0.2 x 0.2 degree grid cell scale.