Curbing methane emissions: a crucial step toward India’s net-zero goals

Amid various factors driving global warming, methane - a by-product of fossil fuel extraction - has been responsible for approximately 30% of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution.

A panel discussion at India Energy Week 2025 in New Delhi on "Methane mitigation technologies and operational practices - increasing yields without compromising energy affordability and security" highlighted the industry's inconsistent approach to tackling methane emissions. While some companies are taking proactive steps, the overall response remains sluggish, with many failing to go the extra mile to curb methane's harmful impact on the environment.

Reducing methane emissions presents a significant opportunity for the energy sector to contribute to net-zero goals. Various measurement and mitigation technologies can help reduce over 75% of methane emissions from fossil fuels today. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), up to 40% of these reductions could be achieved at net-zero cost, as the financial benefits outweigh the implementation expenses.

The most straightforward solution is to seal leaks and prevent methane from escaping into the atmosphere. Rather than letting it dissipate, the industry should capture and utilise it to its full economic potential. Encouragingly, awareness is growing, and companies are beginning to act.

Bjørn Otto Sverdrup, Chair, Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), said, “A very important source of optimism is that the 12 OGCI members have been able to reduce, since 2017, their methane emissions by more than 50% reduction in six years. So, it's very important and very impressive. Now, we can take that kind of coalition that we built from 12 to a coalition of 55 companies, including the bigger Indian national gas companies. We have an opportunity to act on this methane challenge they have never had before. So, quite optimistic, actually, that we can make tangible progress, and the aim is to get here to zero methane emissions from this industry by 2030.” OGCI is a CEO-led initiative comprised of 12 of the world’s leading energy companies, which produce around a third of global oil and gas. 

Highlighting the Indian perspective, Hisham Mundol, Chief Advisor, India Environmental Defense Fund, said, “Why is methane important? 30% of the increase in temperatures on the planet is due to methane. The fastest way to slow down the rising temperature is to reduce methane emissions now. That is the opportunity with only one particular gas. Leakage detection is the solution.”

Regarding the overall economic case, India stands to gain $240 million a year through recurring savings. If we spend the equivalent of $160 million a year until 2030, this is $240 million a year through recurring savings on reduced methane emissions, Mundol said.

“If you look at the Indian context and methane emissions, 20% of it comes from energy, 20% of that is from gas. In the oil & gas sector, investor after investor is beginning to look at what is the decarbonisation roadmap for the sector, and they see methane as a huge opportunity. There is an opportunity for us to fix the problem in India,” Mundol said.

Ashish Kumar, Director – Exploration, Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Ltd said, “It is in the best interest of companies like us not to allow methane to go into the air and lose the value. India is a gas-starved country, almost importing more than 50% of its gas requirement. The government has given us a target to increase the share of gas from 6% at present to 15%. Methane is also less polluting than coal and oil.”

Coal is one of the largest sources of methane. Essar Oil is India’s largest CBM firm. CBM is extracted to detoxify a coal mine before the fuel is extracted. Thus, methane extraction helps both the CBM firm and the coal mining company.

“Leakage detection is a major challenge because we have a length of cross-country pipeline, intervening pipeline, and each joint is a potent target of methane leakage. We are doing digital monitoring. We have been trying to minimise the leakages, as I say, each molecule saved helps the economy,” Kumar said.