Permian oil, gas operations left flares unlit, releasing methane – study

As the oil and gas industry seeks to reduce its emissions, a recent study found that Permian producers failed to light about 5% of their flares, releasing methane into the atmosphere.

Through four week-long surveys in 2020, the Environmental Defense Fund determined that about one in 20 flares were not lit and another 5% malfunctioned and were only partially lit, according to a Feb. 10 release. The environmental group has studied methane emissions in the massive oil- and gas-producing region through its Permian Methane Analysis Project.

Producers burn excess natural gas, releasing carbon dioxide and water vapor rather than methane into the atmosphere. While carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere longer than methane, the latter has a much stronger atmospheric-warming effect. If companies fail to light the flares, a stream of methane releases into the air.

Researchers noted that more than half of the malfunctioning flares continued to malfunction, and roughly a quarter never operated correctly during the survey.

The oil and gas industry has launched several voluntary initiatives to curb methane emissions, but environmentalists have questioned the success of such programs.

"This year of data makes it painfully clear that flaring performance has remained abysmal through the industry's highs and lows," said Colin Leyden, director of the Environmental Defense Fund's regulatory and legislative affairs in Texas. "The science is clear that flaring cannot be an afterthought. Left unchecked, the practice is compounding industry's methane problem at a time when investors and overseas markets are calling for cleaner production."

Still, the oil and gas industry has indicated it has reduced methane emissions in recent years. In March 2020, oil and gas trade associations and companies formed the Texas Methane and Flaring Coalition focused on promoting operational and environmental practices to reduce flaring and methane emissions. On Feb. 10, the coalition announced its intent to end routine flaring by 2030.

The American Petroleum Institute also launched The Environmental Partnership in 2017. Dozens of oil and gas companies have joined the initiative, seeking to address the industry's environmental impacts.

"Our industry is committed to continuously improving our environmental performance and remains laser-focused on driving down emissions from our operations," said Matthew Todd, director of The Environmental Partnership. "While emissions are declining relative to production, we know there is more work to be done, including efforts to reduce flaring."