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Coal Seam Gas – its “fugitive” greenhouse gas emissions are not measured

the sources, and perhaps also the volumes, of fugitive methane releases may differ from those associated with conventional gas production, and that consequently different approaches to the measurement of fugitive emissions may be required.”

CSG worries hinge on timing of climate change, ABC News 10 Dec 12 by Wendy Carlisle for Background Briefing  “……..Fugitive emissions   Professor Hultman’s paper was cited by the oil and gas lobby group APPEA in their submission to the Federal Government’s review into the way in which fugitive emissions from coal seam gas are measured.

APPEA has consistently said coal seam gas is 70 per cent cleaner than coal.

But in September the Government released a report which found that the absence of published information about fugitive emissions – greenhouse gases that leak into the atmosphere during the extraction process – was a matter of “public policy concern”.

The Pitt & Sherry report recommended the Government begin a research process to examine “the relative magnitude of the various individual sources” of fugitive emissions.

“Extraction of [coal seam gas] and shale gas differs from the extraction of conventional natural gas in two important ways,” the report said.

“First, many more wells are drilled for a given volume of gas production.

“Second, much more extensive use is made of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of the gas-bearing rock strata, to release the gas.

“Because of these reasons, it is thought likely that the sources, and perhaps also the volumes, of fugitive methane releases may differ from those associated with conventional gas production, and that consequently different approaches to the measurement of fugitive emissions may be required.”

Earlier this week the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency announced it would be working with CSIRO to conduct field research into fugitive emissions from coal seam gas in 2013.

APPEA issued a statement saying it supported “independent research to better inform development of revised emission factors and methodologies that better reflect Australian gas production operations.”

December 10, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, climate change