Analysing the EU Methane Regulation: what is changing, for whom and by when?
On May 27th, the Council approved the EU Methane regulation, which is expected to come into force in early July 2024.
This Regulation introduces new rules for measurement-based Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV), Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR), and limits on routine venting and flaring across the oil, gas, and coal supply chains.
The EU is the first jurisdiction to set requirements for fossil fuel imports, which will be implemented gradually from 2025 to 2030. This process will begin with information provision, move to demonstrating MRV equivalence, followed by reporting, and finally ensuring that imports stay below the maximum methane intensity thresholds.
This OIES Insight:
- analyses the changes, the affected parties, and the timelines.
- examines the missing elements, e.g. methodology for the calculation of methane intensity of imports, and emission allocation methods between oil and gas products, that are yet to be included in the Regulation via delegated and implementing acts.
- evaluates whether the Regulation meets the expectations raised in the 2020 EU Methane Strategy concerning emissions from fossil fuel imports.
Categories:
Country and Regional Studies , Energy and the Environment , Energy Policy , Energy Transition , Gas , Gas Programme
Tags:
Coal , EU methane , Gas , global methane pledge , import standard , LNG , Methane emissions , MRV , Oil