Measurement of fugitive methane emissions

The EPA is developing a phased regulatory approach to reduce fugitive methane emissions released by EPA licensed facilities.

As part of this work, the EPA commissioned the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to conduct a review of methane measurement technologies for fugitive methane emissions. The EPA and CSIRO have co-authored a report with the key findings and recommendations from the review.

What the review included

The aim of the review was to provide independent expert advice to the EPA regarding the availability, feasibility and uses of facility level fugitive methane monitoring, to improve quantification of emissions. The key review areas and the section within the report are:

prioritise the sources of methane emissions from sectors licensed by the EPA (Section 3)
technologies for monitoring methane emissions (Section 4)
suitability of methods for application in the priority sectors (Section 5).

Section 6 outlines the key recommendations on facility level fugitive methane monitoring and how the EPA will consider the recommendations.

Download the full report: Improving measurement of fugitive methane emissions (PDF 9MB).

Why fugitive methane

Fugitive methane is emitted by industrial activities licensed by the EPA, particularly in the coal mining and waste sectors. It is difficult to measure these emissions due to the diffuse and unpredictable nature of its sources. These emissions can occur intermittently and at varying magnitudes over space and time, making it difficult to consistently and accurately detect and quantify them. This complicates mitigation efforts as facilities may not know how much they are emitting or how much their emissions are being reduced. Improving our capacity to monitor methane emissions will pay a crucial role in our mitigation action.