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Natural Gas Emissions – Getting the Facts Straight

Natural Gas Emissions – Getting the Facts Straight. Overview Natural Gas Emissions: Carbon Footprint Overall Distribution Context How to Measure? Field measurements →emission factors (Lost and Unaccounted is not a good measure of emissions) EPA Inventory Greenhouse Gas Reporting

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Natural Gas Emissions – Getting the Facts Straight

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  1. Natural Gas Emissions – Getting the Facts Straight

  2. Overview • Natural Gas Emissions: • Carbon Footprint Overall • Distribution Context • How to Measure? • Field measurements →emission factors • (Lost and Unaccounted is not a good measure of emissions) • EPA Inventory • Greenhouse Gas Reporting • Methane Measurement Projects • EDF • GTI

  3. Natural gas systems represent a small share of annual GHGs its inception in 1993. Source: EPA GHG Inventory 2013

  4. Technological advances, industry best practices and infrastructure investment…add up to a declining emissions trend Source: EPA GHG Inventory 2013

  5. Natural Gas Distribution:Emissions Shrinking • Emissions from distribution shrank 16 percent since 1990 … • even though we added almost 300,000 (30 percent more) miles of distribution mains… • to serve 17 million (30 percent) more customers • Why? Because we replaced thousands of miles of existing cast iron and bare steel pipe with modern PE plastic pipe • Result: EPA estimates distribution systems emitted 0.3%of produced natural gas in 2011

  6. LUAF is Not a GoodMeasure of Emissions • What is Lost and Unaccounted For (LUAF) Gas? • LUAF is an accounting and ratemaking issue, not an operational issue. • It mainly corrects for differences in meter accuracy. • LUAF includes small amounts for gas theft and emissions, but there is no correlation between LUAF and emissions. • EPAhas long recognized the limitations of LUAF and rejected idea of using LUAF to measure or estimate methane emissions.

  7. How to Measure & Estimate Natural Gas Emissions • Leak detection – several tools available • Direct flow rate measurements in the field • Develop emission factors based on these direct measurements • Collect accurate data for activity levels

  8. EPA Inventory: New data has significantly revised emissions estimates downwards Source: EPA GHG Inventory 2012/2013

  9. Emissions Estimations Declining as they become more accurate • EPA 2012 Annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions • originally estimated 2.5% – 3.2% of produced gas emitted in 2010 from well to customer. • New 2013 EPA Inventory • only estimates 1.5% of produced gas emitted in 2011 from well to customer, and of this, • only estimates 0.3% of produced gas was emitted from gas distribution in 2011. • EPA also found emissions from distribution have declined over time due to replacing cast iron and bare steel pipe.

  10. EDF Field Studies - Natural Gas Emissions • Production – data collection complete; study in peer review; publication Fall 2013 • Processing – organizational phase; plan to publish later in 2014 • Transmission & Underground Storage – beginning data collection • Distribution – finishing data collection; submit study for peer review fall 2013; publish 2014 • Pump to Wheels – finishing data collection for natural gas vehicle fueling and exhaust; peer review fall 2013; publish 2014

  11. Field Studies to Measure Emissions from Distribution | GTI and EDFHi-Flow Meter – Measuring Emissions from Low Grade Pipe Leak

  12. CONCLUSION • Natural gas emissions are already low - current estimates • Better data will provide a more accurate picture • EPA Inventories will continue to improve with new data • Subpart W mandatory GHG reports – for 2014 Inventory • EDF’s data for production – 2014 Inventory • GTI data for buried distribution pipe (report in 2014) – 2015 Inventory • EDF data for processing, transmission & storage, distribution, and natural gas vehicle fueling and exhaust – (report in 2014) – add data to 2015 Inventory • As EPA’s estimates become more accurate, numbers will get lower and more credible • Upstream emissions reductions and downstream infrastructure replacements will further reduce these reported methane numbers and demonstrate the true value of natural gas

  13. Find Us Online www.aga.org www.truebluenaturalgas.org http://twitter.com/AGA_naturalgas www.facebook.com/naturalgas www.linkedin.com/company/50905?trk=tyah

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