Global energy sector methane emissions estimated by using facility-level satellite observations

Methane emissions from energy sector facilities (oil, gas, and coal) represent a substantial contribution to greenhouse gas emissions with substantial mitigation potential. We estimated global 2023 methane emissions from energy sector point sources using the high spatial resolution GHGSat satellite constellation. GHGSat detected 8.30 +/- 0.24 million tonnes per year of methane emissions from 3114 emission sites. Detected oil and gas– and coal-emitting sites were found to be emitting 16 and 48% of the time, respectively, above GHGSat’s detection limit without obvious continental variation. Compared with the Global Fuel Exploitation Inventory (GFEIv3) estimate, GHGSat’s estimate comprises 12% of GFEIv3′s total emissions, or 24% over GHGsat-observed locations, with good spatial correlation at the country scale but only weak spatial correlation at 0.2°-×-0.2° grid cell scale.