IEA: Agriculture, Energy Among Latin America's Top Methane Emitters

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Written by Amir Richani for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported this week that Central and South America released 38,317 kilotons (kt) of methane into the atmosphere in 2022, representing 10.8% of global emissions. The energy energy sector emitted 19% of the gas, but agriculture was the region's largest methane emitter, with the Brazilian and Argentine agricultural sectors leading the charts.

Globally, the energy sector released around 135 million tons of methane into the atmosphere in 2022, according to the IEA. "Coal, oil, and natural gas operations are each responsible for around 40 Mt (million tons) of emissions and nearly 5 Mt of leaks from end-use equipment," the IEA said.

Overall, Brazil and Argentina lead the South American statistics for the largest emitters with, 19,954 kt and 5,251 kt, respectively, though this is due to their massive agricultural sectors. Brazil is one of the largest methane emitters globally, behind China, the U.S. and Russia.

Looking at the energy industry, based on the IEA's numbers, Venezuela was by far the largest methane emitter, with 2,634 kt, compared with Brazil at 1,756 kt and Argentina at 1,307 kt.

For Venezuela, the energy sector represents 65% of the nation's total emissions, a significantly high number considering that the fossil fuel industry represented 37% of the emissions globally. According to the IEA, Venezuela has the second-highest methane intensity from oil and gas in the world, only behind Turkmenistan.

The report does not highlight the reasons for Venezuela's situation, though this could be related to aging oil & gas and refining infrastructure and flaring.

An IEA map of major active flares emitters between January and September last year shows what seems to be the Orinoco Oil belt in Venezuela, the Campos and Santos basins in Brazil, Vaca Muerta in Argentina and Ecuador's northeastern regions as some of South American's top locations. The map does not specify the name of the areas or the activities, but they are located at or near fossil fuel-producing regions.

According to the IEA, about 70% of the world's methane emissions from the fossil fuel sector could be reduced by current technology, with an opportunity to decrease the oil & gas sector's methane emissions by as much as 75% with measures such as leak detection, upgrading equipment and repair programs.

Additionally, stopping all non-emergency flaring and venting in oil and gas operations is the most efficient way to lessen methane emissions from oil and gas operations.

The IEA also noted that Colombia is the first country in the region to regulate emissions from the Oil & Gas Industry, including monitoring leaks and improving equipment standards.

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