On 22 December, the European Commission opened a public consultation with a view to adopting, in the fourth quarter of 2021, a European regulation to prevent methane (CH4) leaks in the energy sector.
As part of the Methane Strategy presented by the Commission on 14 October (see EUROPE 12581/9), this regulation will have two specific objectives: (1) improve the availability and accuracy of information on sources of methane emissions associated with energy consumption in the EU; (2) introduce EU-wide obligations for companies to improve the detection and repair of methane leaks and to eliminate routine venting and flaring in the energy sector.
Concerning the objective of improving monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of CH4 emissions throughout the supply chain, the Commission envisages three scenarios, according to the roadmap.
The first option would be not to make legislative changes, but to encourage energy companies, on a voluntary basis, to implement the MRV methodology developed by the ‘Oil and Gas Methane Partnership’ (OGMP).
Scenarios 2 and 3, on the other hand, envisage translating the OGMP methodology into European legislation. This legislation would then apply either to the intra-EU supply chain only (scenario 2) or to the whole supply chain (scenario 3).
As regards the second objective of the Regulation, the Roadmap underlines that the options assessed by the Commission in the field of mitigation could vary in terms of, inter alia, sectoral scope (limited to fossil gas or also including oil, coal and biogas/biomethane) and supply chain coverage (including or not including imports).
The public consultation on the roadmap for this regulation will close on 26 January.
To view the roadmap and participate in the public consultation: http://bit.ly/3of1qqf (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)