Shale Gas Production: Potential versus Actual GHG Emissions
Name
MITJPSPGC_Reprint_12-30.pdf
Description
main article
Size
357.74 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
06fc9ebc1b5fac8f1aa509decd9790e1
Author(s)
O'Sullivan, Francis
Paltsev, Sergey
Date Issued
November 2012
Publisher
MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change
Citation
Report 234
Series/Report no.
Joint Program Report Series;234
Abstract
Estimates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shale gas production and use are controversial. Here we assess the level of GHG emissions from shale gas well hydraulic fracturing operations in the United States during 2010. Data from each of the approximately 4,000 horizontal shale gas wells brought online that year is used to show that about 900 Gg CH4 of potential fugitive emissions were generated by these operations, or 228 Mg CH4 per well—a figure inappropriately used in analyses of the GHG impact of shale gas. In fact, along with simply venting gas produced during the completion of shale gas wells, two additional techniques are widely used to handle these potential emissions, gas flaring, and reduced emissions “green” completions. The use of flaring and reduced emission completions reduce the levels of actual fugitive emissions from shale well completion operations to about 216 GgCH4, or 50 Mg CH4 per well, a release substantially lower than several widely quoted estimates. Although fugitive emissions from the overall natural gas sector are a proper concern, it is incorrect to suggest that shale gas-related hydraulic fracturing has substantially altered the overall GHG intensity of natural gas production.
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