Kazakhstan will unveil its plan to reduce methane emissions at the UN climate conference in Baku in November, Kazakh officials revealed. The announcement is the latest in a series of actions aimed at keeping the country’s greenhouse gas reduction efforts on track, after Astana joined the Global Methane Pledge fin 2023.
This voluntary agreement encourage signatories to collectively reduce global methane pollution by at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030. This commitment is part of international incentives to combat global warming. Kazakhstan has committed to reducing its emissions by 4.9% below 2020 levels, or by up to 2 million metric tonsThis will require a total investment of at least $1.4 billion by 2030, a figure based on the projection from the United States and international for the oil and gas sector of Kazakhstan.
“We have developed a roadmap to meet these methane reduction commitments,” to declare Saule Sabieva, an official in Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, who attended a meeting in Germany in early June that laid the groundwork for the upcoming climate conference in the UN, known as COP29. The measures will be adapted to each industry, she added.
According to Researchers, the energy sector is the largest source of methane emissions, accounting for nearly two-thirds of emissions between 1990 and 2021. Agriculture was a close second. ¨distant source over the same period, representing 30% of emissions. Waste management completed the top three with 6.5% of emissions.
Between June and December 2023, Kazakhstan experienced what was report as the second largest anthropogenic methane leak ever documented. A natural gas fire commencé during a drilling operation in the Mangystau region, southwest Kazakhstan. Methane levels in the air have been measured 480 times the legal limit. The well operator, Buzachi Neft, was sanctioned $780,000 fine.
The fire lasted about 200 days and was not extinguished until December 25, more than three weeks after Kazakhstan announced its commitment to the Global Methane Pledge.
En mai, Buzachi Neft, le methane super-emittera announced intend to drill 23 new wells in the Mangystau region. The proposed drilling depth was 4,265 feet, with a margin of 820 feet. Construction work could begin as early as September. The wells are expected to come into production between 2025 and 2034. The private oil company did not respond to a request for comment on adjustments to safety measures for avoid methane leaks like the one that occurred in 2023.
Another oil and gas producer, state-owned KazMunayGas, has been more transparent about its “methane management” strategy. She has signé a memorandum of cooperation with the Oslo-based environmental advisory company, Carbon Limitswhich provides solutions to reduce emissions. The company deployed its Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) program for a test demonstration at one of KazMunayGas’ production sites.
The technology uses satellite images to identify methane super-emitters. Infrared cameras precisely target the source of methane leaks. Leaks can then be quickly sealed. The training involved 24 employees of KazMunayGas and its subsidiaries. “In the future, [ils] will independently implement the LDAR system at their sites,” déclaré the company in a statement. According to media reportsthe application of the know-how could cost from a million dollars.
In addition to the deployment of LDAR, several measures are planned as part of Astana’s commitment to the Global Methane Pledge. As reported by the news agency LS Newsabout $80 million could be allocated to modernizing coal infrastructure and processing methane for electricity generation. Another $200 million could be used for early degassing of coal seams at the Tentekskaya mine in northeastern Kazakhstan. This will be realized using the plasma pulse impact method. This technique helps to create micro-fractures and is used in mines at risk of methane. At least $70 million per year are necessary to treat methane leaks at oil and gas facilities in Kazakhstan.
In April, the Ministry of Energy requested the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to jointly attract investment in new projects. In May, the development of national standards for methane reduction was discussed at the Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialoguea format that led a Kazakh delegation to Washington.
Par Ekaterina Venkina yours Eurasianet.org
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