The largest methane leak ever recorded at an oil well

A recent study analyzed satellite observations and identified a methane leak that occurred in 2023 that turned out to be the largest of all those coming from oil wells.

The study was carried out by an international team of scientists led by Luis Guanter, professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) in Spain and head of the LARS Group at the Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA) of the UPV.

The incident, caused by a well blowout on June 9, 2023, released approximately 131,000 tonnes and occurred in the Karaturun East oil field (Kazakhstan).

The research has used advanced satellite-based technologies to quantify and track the evolution of this massive methane emission. Satellite data comes from various missions such as TROPOMI, GHGSat, PRISMA, EnMAP, EMIT, Sentinel-2 and Landsat.

Research indicates that this accident, which caused a 10-meter-high fire and the formation of a 15-meter-wide crater, has significantly surpassed previous events such as the Aliso Canyon in 2015, the Ohio in 2018 and the Louisiana in 2019.

“The leak began on June 9, 2023, and has released approximately 131,000 tons of methane into the atmosphere during the 205 days that the incident lasted. In fact, thousands of tons of water were injected to seal the well, and the flow of gas was finally stopped on December 25, 2023 by injecting drilling mud,” explains Luis Guanter.

Researchers from the LARS-IIAMA group such as Javier Roger, Adriana Valverde, Itziar Irakulis and Javier Gorroño, together with experts from several international institutions, participated in the study.

In this research, new data processing methods have been developed that provide advantages over traditional ones.

“These optimized methods include the implementation of a filter adapted to detect plumes and specific methane quantification models for hyperspectral instruments,” the LARS researchers explain.

They therefore stress that advanced technologies based on satellite information are crucial to detect and quantify methane emissions, especially in remote locations where these events often go unnoticed.

“Our work demonstrates how advanced space-based tools are essential to discover and manage these super-emission events, allowing for accurate reconstruction and robust quantification of emissions,” say the members of the LARS group.

From a suitable orbit around Earth, it is possible to detect and track large methane leaks. (Photo: NASA / UCSD)

Finally, IIAMA researchers highlight the need for continuous and precise monitoring to mitigate the environmental impacts of industrial activities such as oil and gas extraction.

“Natural gas, in addition to being an important source of energy, is also a greenhouse gas responsible for almost a third of current global warming, as it contains more than 90% methane. The difference with CO2 is that it has a greater impact in the short term, so it is necessary to act at source and reduce emissions,” they conclude.

The study is titled “Multisatellite Data Depicts a Record-Breaking Methane Leak from a Well Blowout”. It has been published in the academic journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters and has been selected by the academic journal Nature as a Featured Research. (Source: UPV)