Riyadh, December 10, 2023, The King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) and Kayrros, an environmental intelligence company, have joined forces to unveil the first-ever satellite-based measurements of elusive methane emissions in Saudi Arabia. The collaborative effort, spanning the years 2016-2022, utilized NASA's and the European Space Agency's advanced satellites, providing valuable insights into the environmental impact of the country's oil and gas sector.
A recent press release from KAPSARC highlighted the publication of a discussion paper titled "Using Satellite Technology to Measure Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Saudi Arabia." The paper detailed the groundbreaking use of satellite technology to estimate methane emissions from Saudi Arabia's oil and gas sector, revealing a figure of 780 kilotons in 2022. Notably, Saudi Arabia emerged with the second-lowest methane intensity in oil and gas production globally, trailing only behind Norway.
The project gains added significance due to the scarcity of global sources providing methane inventories for Saudi Arabia, with diverging estimates. KAPSARC and Kayrros' emission estimates for 2022 were approximately 73% lower than those reported by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR).
Fahad Alajlan, President of KAPSARC, emphasized the groundbreaking nature of the findings, challenging existing norms and underscoring the importance of the innovative approach in redefining the understanding of emissions in Saudi Arabia.
The research project also indicated that methane emissions from Saudi Arabia's oil and gas industry constitute one-third of total methane emissions. This aligns with the latest national greenhouse gas inventory submitted by the Saudi Clean Development Mechanism Designated National Authority in 2022.
Antoine Rostand, co-founder and President of Kayrros, expressed the power of the global community to dramatically reduce methane emissions based on conclusive data. The satellite estimates focused solely on emissions from oil and gas fields, covering production, transportation of hydrocarbons, and gas processing within the field vicinity, excluding downstream operations.
The findings hold significant policy implications for Saudi decision-makers as the country is committed to the Global Methane Pledge, aiming for a 30% reduction in methane emissions worldwide by 2030. Accurate information on Saudi emissions is deemed crucial for guiding more effective climate actions, with the release highlighting the need to address methane emissions from the waste sectors in Saudi Arabia, as indicated by satellite-based estimation results.
