HOUSTON, May 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ONE Future Coalition (ONE Future) announced today that the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has released its report, Industry Partnerships and Their Role in Reducing Natural Gas Supply Chain Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The report analyzed the greenhouse gas (GHG) profile of the ONE Future facilities and also evaluated methane abatement options.
Key takeaways from the study are the following:
- The study indicated an average life-cycle methane emission rate using the ONE Future protocol to be .67% vs national average methane emission rate of 1.62. Additional cost- effective measures could account for an additional 1.1 Bcf in methane emission reductions.
- If these additional measures are fully realized the average life-cycle methane emission rate for ONE Future companies is 0.65% further enhancing the competitive advantage of US natural gas relative to other countries.
- NETL also computed the life cycle GHG emission results for natural gas through end use (power sector and liquefied natural gas (LNG) delivered). Comparing the results with prior NETL reports, ONE Future companies delivered gas is 7-10% lower on a CO2 equivalent intensity basis compared to the “average” US natural gas rate on a 100-year basis and about 15-18% lower on a 20 year basis
“ONE Future companies understand methane emissions can potentially erode the benefits of natural gas and reductions are vital to ensuring the industry can support the energy needs of the nation and the world. This study demonstrates the positive impacts of One Future Coalition companies and the bottom line is this report proves that we can achieve energy dominance using our abundant, affordable and American natural gas in an environmentally responsible manner,” said Richard Hyde, Executive Director, ONE Future.
ONE Future member companies represent the entire natural gas value chain and account for about 12% of the total natural gas production, 22% of the US natural gas transmission miles and 9% of the US natural gas distribution. ONE Future companies have invested in methane mitigation technologies and work-practices for several decades. Using the NETL Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) model this project enabled ONE Future members to evaluate how their current and past investments in methane mitigation compared to the US national average of methane emissions.
This initiative between ONE Future and NETL demonstrates how industry and government can work together to improve the understanding of methane emissions and identify potential reduction strategies that can improve long-term operational efficiency of the nation’s natural gas production and delivery systems.
ONE Future was formed when 8 companies came together in 2014 with a focus to collectively achieve a science-based average rate of methane emissions across our facilities equivalent to one percent (or less) of total natural gas production. Since our formation, we have grown to 13 companies accounting for the some of the largest natural gas producers, transmission and distribution companies in the U.S. ONE Future members operate in 11 out of the 19 production basins and other segments of the value chain operate in multiple regions of the country, hence ONE Future’s data represent a geographically diverse and material share of the U.S. natural gas supply chain. Its members include Antero Resources, Apache, BHP, EQT Hess, Kinder Morgan, National Grid, Jonah, Southern Company Gas, Southwestern Energy, Summit Utilities, Statoil and TransCanada, for more information visit www.onefuture.us.
The report can be accessed on the NETL website under the Natural Gas heading at: www.netl.doe.gov/LCA.