Mary Kang: Methane emissions from non-producing oil and gas wells in Canada

Abstract

Millions of non-producing oil and gas wells around the world are leaking methane and other contaminants, contributing to increased greenhouse gas emissions and polluting our water, soils, and air. Quantifying emissions and understanding well attributes driving emissions are important for evaluating the scale of the environmental risks and informing mitigation strategies. Here, we present our national-scale direct measurement database of 494 non-producing wells across Canada and analyze this dataset to show the role of well attributes on observed methane emission rates. We also estimate methane emissions associated with non-producing wells linked to an explosion. Large uncertainties in methane emissions from non-producing wells can be reduced not only with additional measurements, but also with detailed well attribute analysis using direct measurements. Identifying well attributes linked to high emitters can also be used to prioritize mitigation, thereby reducing methane emissions and broader environmental risks, including explosions.

Bio

Mary Kang is an Associate Professor in Civil Engineering at McGill University, studying methane emissions from oil and gas systems and subsurface hydrology. Kang published the first direct measurements of methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells in the United States, and over the past decade, she has led projects on direct measurements of abandoned wells across Canada and the United States. Her research group conducts data mining, geospatial/statistical analysis, and machine learning to determine the scope of the emissions and develop mitigation solutions. Kang received a B.A.Sc. and M.A.Sc. in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Waterloo, Canada, a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from Princeton University and was a postdoctoral fellow in Earth system science at Stanford University.