The Global Methane Pledge is an effort aimed to reduce methane emissions, led by the United States and the European Union. This goal will be advanced in Mexico through a significant collaboration by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, specifically methane.
PEMEX, Mexico's national oil company remains the major oil producer and routinely burns off gas during the production. The company is said to have released about 40,000 tons of methane, the second most dominant greenhouse gas, late last year (2021) into the Gulf of Mexico - Report published in June 2022 by Spanish University researchers in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
PEMEX’s project to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 2016 was abandoned 5 years later due to low profitability and pressure to increase oil production. They chose to pay fines rather adhere to emission regulations. Now with the Global Methane Pledge in place, Mexico has stated in COP27 summit this year, that it would raise its target to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 30% by 2030. To know more about Annual GHG emissions of PEMEX, view here.
The EPA, US has thus joint hands with PEMEX, Mexico to reduce methane gas emissions.
EPA will assist PEMEX:
• Identify major sources of methane emissions across its operations.
• Implement methane reduction technologies and practices (This includes flare gas capture and leak) to enhance air quality, public health and minimise greenhouse gas emissions
• Implement mitigation operations like flare capture and efficiency opportunities, replacing equipment and operation changes, leak detection and repair.
By the first half of 2023, PEMEX will create and publish a plan for carrying out these mitigation activities, starting with PEMEX's onshore oil and gas operations, with technical assistance from the EPA.
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