Methane Emissions from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in Canada and the United States

Abstract

g/h to 48 g/h per well depending on the plugging status, well type, and region, with the overall average at 6.0 g/h. We find that annual methane emissions from abandoned wells are underestimated by 150% in Canada and by 20% in the U.S. Even with the inclusion of two to three times more measurement data than used in current inventory estimates, we find that abandoned wells remain the most uncertain methane source in the U.S. and become the most uncertain source in Canada. Understanding methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells can provide critical insights into broader environmental impacts of abandoned wells, which are rapidly growing in number around the world.

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