By Toby McIntosh
A new international effort to identify major methane emissions will detect at least 40-50 episodes a month and make information about them public, according to a top official of the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) initiative, sponsored by the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO).
Such a level of disclosure would constitute a significant increase in the visibility of specific methane emissions worldwide. But public notification will come 45-75 day after the emission is discovered while efforts to solve the problem are undertaken.
The process of engaging with the emitters and the timeline for transparency was described in more detail than before by Cynthia Randles, the MARS Program Manager and Inventory Advisor, during a webinar March 22 sponsored by the European University Institute in Florence. (View recording.)
The first step, Randles said, will be to pinpoint the sources of the emissions, primarily by using information from public and private satellites. MARS has contracted for data from the company Kayrros and is also working with the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON).
MARS will start by looking for emissions at the level of 10,000 kilograms per hour, according to Randles, But she added that emissions at lower thresholds can be detected and that additional “hot spots” with lower hourly emission rates could be covered. She said MARS is investigating about 100 hot spots around the world. The oil and gas industry is the initial focus, but coal mines also will be included.
First Step: Notification of Responsible Parties
After using high resolution images to pinpoint the specific sources of the emissions, MARS officials will seek to identify the responsible parties and to notify them of the emissions, a process that Randles said might take several days after detection. The responsible parties will be asked to quickly acknowledge having been notified, she said.
Within two weeks after the detection of the leak, MARS will provide the emitters with detailed reports, she said.
The emitters will be expected to “take action” on the basis of the information provided, she said. She said they will be asked to describe the cause of the emissions and their mitigation plans. “Our goal is not to point fingers,” Randles said.
MARS officials will seek collaborate with the emitters and to provide guidance on solutions, with help from the International Energy Agency.
Confirming this, IEA official K.C. Michaels stressed at the webinar that IEA research indicates that emissions could be cut by three-quarters using existing technologies, often at no net cost because captured gas can be resold. Michaels, a Legal Advisor in IEA’s Office of Legal Counsel, commented that impediments may exist, however, and that government action may be required.
IEA’s Global Methane Tracker in the primary source of methane emissions data, including county-by-country, but does not provide data on specific emissions at the granular level planned by the MARS project. IEA’s Global Methane Tracker 2023 report said methane emissions from the energy sector rose slightly last year to 135 million tons, slightly below the record set in 2019.
Public Will Learn About Emissions After 45-75 Days
Information will be provided to the public between 45 and 75 days after the discovery of the leak. Disclosures are expected to begin after June 30, 2023.
Some data about the leak and information about the response will be released.
Randles said MARS will provide data on the incident, including visuals. She said that “contractual obligations” will prevent release of some data before 45 days after detection.
MARS also intends to release a “summary” of the response by the responsible party and a “summary description” of their mitigation efforts or plans to resolve the problem
She said MARS will continue to monitor emissions sites it has identified.
The gap between discovery of emission and disclosure had previously been stated by MARS officials, but not in as much detail. (See previous EYE article.)
