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Conference Agenda

Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).

Please note that all times are shown in the time zone of the conference. The current conference time is: 24th Aug 2026, 01:50:33am WEST

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Daily Overview

Session

Energy
Location: B132
Session Chair: Francesca Diluiso, Bank of England

Presentation 1

The potential impacts of an EU methane intensity standard for natural gas

Ruud Egging-Bratseth¹, Kristina Mohlin², Huong Nguyen², Carolyn Fischer³, Franziska Holz⁴

1: SINTEF; 2: Environmental Defense Fund Europe; 3: World Bank; 4: DIW

Discussant: Gremary Aza-Mengoa (University of Passau)

Methane mitigation is increasingly recognized as a critical lever for achieving near-term climate goals. In August 2024, the European Union adopted the Methane Regulation (EUMR), the first comprehensive framework addressing methane emissions from both domestic fossil fuel operations and imports. A cornerstone of the regulation is the introduction of a methane intensity standard for fossil fuels (crude oil, natural gas and coal) which take effect on August 5, 2030, but only for contracts concluded or renewed after that date.

This paper examines the implications of implementing the EU methane intensity standard for natural gas using a partial equilibrium economic model. Our analysis finds that the intensity standard would reduce upstream methane emissions embedded in EU gas production and imports by approximately 40%. This corresponds to a 1.4% reduction in global methane emissions from natural gas production when accounting for trade diversion and associated emission leakage of approximately 10%. At the same time, the intensity standard would have negligible effects on EU gas prices and gas import volumes. Eliminating the exemption for pre-existing long-term supply contracts could nearly double this impact.

These results underscore the potential of methane intensity standards as a cost-effective policy instrument for global methane mitigation, offering significant climate benefits without imposing substantial economic trade-offs.