Recently I came across a shocking news. Satellite images have brought to light a disturbing piece of information, that a powerful greenhouse gas (GHG) is leaking at an alarming rate from the fracking wells in USA. Research and studies are going on to evaluate and analyse the matter.

“Fracking is the injection of a fluid at high pressure into an underground rock formation to open fissures and allow trapped gas or crude oil to flow through a pipe to a wellhead at the surface. This technique is used in natural gas and petroleum production.”

Definition Source: https://www.britannica.com/technology/fracking

Fracking is often used by Oil and Gas companies. In the Permian Basin that spans across Texas and New Mexico in USA, fracking wells have been drilled to access the underground resources. Gallons of water, and loads of sand and chemicals are pumped through these wells to crack the compressed layers of shale in order to release the oil and gas.

Methane is a natural gas that is also releases in the process of extraction of oil and gas. Besides being a harmful GHG, Methane has some uses too; and is mainly used as fuel to generate heat and light; as well as in manufacture of organic chemicals. It is captured from oil and gas wells and stored for use. However, it is unfortunate that at the Permisan Basin, the capture/collection system is not as leak-proof as it should be. This results in about 4% of the gas leaking into the atmosphere. Considering that the other major oil and gas basins in USA have an average leakage rate below 2%, this leakage rate is unreasonably high and also it is nearly double of what has been assumed by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).

According to Ritesh Gautam at the US-based Environmental Defense Fund, part of the team behind the study, “oil and gas production has grown so fast in the Permian in the past five years that there isn’t enough infrastructure to gather all the methane.”

Obviously, this seems to be a clear example of unsustainable development. It may sound unrealistic, but the methane leakage at Permisan Basin is potentially capable of causing an annual warming effect equivalent to the carbon dioxide emission from all homes in USA. This is in sharp contrast to the American claims that the energy production in USA is now greener and cleaner with the use of natural gas as compared to burning coal for power.

The planet needs developed and technically advanced rich ‘First World’ countries like USA, to lead the path to sustainable development, in practice and not just in claims. I do hope that the ongoing studies and research in this matter will lead to a suitable solution to reduce the unusually high Methane leakage at the oil and gas wells at Permisan Basin and elsewhere.

Reference

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2241347-fracking-wells-in-the-us-are-leaking-loads-of-planet-warming-methane/