Global LNG sector braces for methane accountability amid regulatory shifts

THE methane footprints of liquefied natural gas (LNG) have long lurked in the shadow of carbon discourse, but between 2022 and 2025 the industry has moved toward clearer accountability.

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• From 2022-2025 the LNG industry has seen real advances in methane measurement, reporting and verification, but looming EU and US regulations may reshape trade, contracts, and compliance

Technological innovations, voluntary certification regimes and rising regulatory pressure have advanced measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of methane emissions.

Yet the march toward more stringent rules in the US and the EU (EU) promises to drive deeper shifts in contracts, trading behaviour and upstream practices.

From 2022 onward, the oil-and-gas sector more broadly, and LNG operators in particular, began transitioning from coarse emissions estimates and engineering factors towards more measurement-informed inventories.

By 2025 many operators had adopted leak detection and repair programmes, continuous monitoring and site-level measurement techniques.

Satellite programmes, aerial surveys, drone-mounted sensors and continuous point sensors matured, enabling better detection of 'super-emitters' and episodic leaks that conventional estimates often miss.

New academic methods strengthened the attribution of observed methane plumes to specific equipment types or facilities.

Some modelling studies showed that self-reported methane intensity metrics understate emissions by an average factor of 16 relative to modelled estimates.

This highlighted the gap between corporate disclosures and independent measurement.

Voluntary frameworks such as the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0 gained traction, with companies striving toward the highest 'level 5' reporting standard that integrates source-level data and site reconciliation.

By 2025 several LNG exporters, particularly in the US, sought certification under independent programmes to signal transparency to buyers.

REPORTING & VERIFICATION: GROWING RIGOR