The European Council adopts a regulation to track and reduce methane emissions

The European Council officially adopted a regulation focusing on tracking and reducing methane emissions as part of the Fit for 55 package. This regulation introduces new requirements for measuring, reporting and verifying methane emissions in the energy sector, aimed at reducing emissions through activities such as detecting and remediating methane leaks and limiting venting and flaring activities.

An important aspect of regulation is the use of global monitoring tools to ensure transparency of methane emissions from imports of oil, gas and coal into the European Union (EU). Operators will now be required to measure methane emissions at source level and prepare monitoring reports, which will be verified by independent, accredited entities.

The European Council adopted a regulation as part of the “Fit for 55” package to track and reduce methane emissions. It mandates measurement, reporting and verification of emissions, repairing leaks, and limiting venting and flaring. The regulation covers global monitoring of imported emissions and will be reviewed by the European Commission in 2028.

Member States will maintain and regularly update inventories of all wells and develop mitigation plans for inactive wells to prevent public health and environmental risks related to methane emissions. National authorities are tasked with carrying out periodic inspections to ensure that operators comply with the requirements of the regulation, including taking necessary remedial actions, the European Council said in a press release.

Under the new rules, operators must detect and repair methane leaks by testing different types of infrastructure at specified intervals. Any component with methane leakage exceeding the specified level must be repaired or replaced immediately upon detection and no later than five days later. The regulation sets a 30-day deadline for complete repairs.

Additionally, the regulation prohibits degassing and flares of methane from drainage stations until 2025 and ventilation shafts until 2027, unless it is strictly necessary or results from emergencies or breakdowns. Methane emissions from energy imports into the EU will also be monitored, and new global tools will increase transparency on emissions from imported oil, gas and coal.

The regulation will enter into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. The European Commission will review the application of the regulation in 2028, assessing the degree of emission reductions achieved.

“Methane, a short-lived climate pollutant up to 30 times more potent than CO2, is the second most important greenhouse gas. To meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and achieving climate neutrality by 2050, we must reduce methane emissions from the oil, gas and coal sectors. This legislation ensures that emissions are properly monitored and problems in these value chains are addressed,” he said Tinne Van der Straeten, Belgian Minister of Energy.

Fiber2Fashion Information Desk (DP)