Satellite data reveals KSA's methane emissions 46pc lower than IEA reports

New satellite measurements show significant discrepancies between IEA estimates and direct observations of Saudi Arabian methane emissions from oil and gas operations

- BY ABDULAZIZ KHATTAK

SIGNIFICANT discrepancies exist between satellite measurements and activity-based calculations of methane emissions in Saudi Arabia, with the data from 2024 revealing a 46 per cent gap between the two methodologies

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported Saudi Arabia's oil and gas sector emitted 1.74 million tonnes of methane in 2024, representing a 43 per cent decrease from the 3.05 million tonnes recorded in 2022.

However, satellite measurements using the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument aboard the Sentinel-5P satellite, conducted through a joint KAPSARC-Kayrros project, estimated oil and gas methane emissions at just 0.94 million tonnes in 2024, according to Anwar Gasim and Abdelrahman Muhsen, researchers at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC).