Pathways to mitigating methane emissions from inactive oil and gas wells

加拿大40万口非生产油气井的甲烷排放量比之前估计的高出150%。为了填补目前可用测量数据集的关键空白，我们建议通过直接测量阿尔伯塔省、萨斯喀彻温省、不列颠哥伦比亚省和西北地区油井的甲烷排放量，对加拿大非生产油气井进行定量评估。我们还将开发改进的测量系统，可用于量化时间变化，并为制定缓解战略提供必要的特定于基础设施和地球化学信息。根据政府规定，减少非生产井甲烷排放的主要方法是封堵。然而，堵塞可能是昂贵的。因此，有必要了解现有的途径，并探索替代的缓解途径，如地热。我们将评估将油井改作地热开发用途的潜力，并利用我们的测量数据，分析两种缓解途径的成本和效益——堵井和将不生产的油井改作地热能源生产用途。该提案响应了这一呼吁的目标，即在地球系统气候科学、大气监测和经济分析方面建设科学能力，以了解区域和国家尺度上和时间上的温室气体排放，并为温室气体减缓机会提供信息，因为甲烷是一种强效温室气体。我们的测量将有助于了解区域和国家范围内非生产井的甲烷排放情况。我们对地热开发潜力和油井封堵的技术经济分析将有助于将非生产油气井纳入温室气体减排战略。该提案的合作伙伴是加拿大石油技术联盟（PTAC）、加拿大环境和气候变化以及阿尔伯塔省能源监管机构。

Methane emissions from the 400,000 non-producing oil and gas wells in Canada have been found to be 150% higher than previously estimated. To fill critical gaps in currently available measurement datasets, we propose to conduct quantitative assessments of non-producing oil and gas wells in Canada through direct measurements of methane emissions from wells in Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories. We will also develop improved measurement systems that can be used to quantify temporal variations and to provide infrastructure-specific and geochemical information necessary for developing mitigation strategies. The primary option for reducing methane emissions from non-producing wells is plugging, as specified in government regulations. However, plugging can be expensive. Therefore, there is a need to understand existing pathways and explore alternate mitigation pathways, such as geothermal. We will evaluate the potential to repurpose the wells for geothermal development and using our measurement data, analyze the costs and benefits of the two mitigation pathways - well plugging and repurposing non-producing for geothermal energy production. The proposal responds to the call's goal of building scientific capacity in earth system climate science, atmospheric monitoring, and economic analysis to understand GHG emissions at the regional and national scales and over time and to inform GHG mitigation opportunities, as methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Our measurements will contribute to understanding methane emissions from non-producing wells at regional and national scales and over time. Our techno-economic analysis of geothermal development potential and well plugging will facilitate the inclusion of non-producing oil and gas wells in GHG mitigation strategies. The partners on this proposal are the Petroleum Technology Alliance of Canada (PTAC), Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the Alberta Energy Regulator.