IEA Says Plugging Methane Leaks Could Return 200 BCM of Gas Annually

The International Energy Agency estimates that plugging methane leaks from the energy sector could return around 200 billion cubic metres of gas to global markets each year over the long term — roughly twice the volume lost due to disruptions linked to the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Despite growing international commitments, methane emissions from the energy sector remained close to record highs in 2025.

The IEA's Global Methane Tracker estimates that energy-sector methane emissions could be reduced by nearly 70 per cent using existing technologies, with around 30 per cent of reductions achievable at no net cost because captured gas can be sold. In the near term, applying available methane abatement measures in key exporting and importing countries could bring nearly 15 billion cubic metres of gas to market. Over the longer term, reducing oil and gas operation emissions could deliver close to 100 billion cubic metres annually, while ending non-emergency gas flaring could unlock a further 100 billion cubic metres. Only about 12 per cent of alerts issued through UNEP's Methane Alert and Response System received responses in 2025.

Global coal mine methane emissions reached about 35 million tonnes in 2023, largely unchanged since 2021 despite rising coal output, with 89 per cent going unreported in official inventories according to Ember research. In India, Ember's Rajasekhar Modadugu said methane from coal mining has not received sufficient global attention, urging producers to use existing capture and utilisation technologies. Oil and gas account for more than 60 per cent of total methane abatement potential, and the IEA found that matching Norway's emissions intensity globally would reduce oil and gas methane emissions by more than 90 per cent.

Policy ambition lags targets. Existing policies would cut oil and gas methane emissions by about 20 per cent by 2030 and 26 per cent by 2035, well below the Global Methane Pledge target of at least 30 per cent reduction by 2030 from 2020 levels. The pledge, launched at COP26, now covers more than 150 countries representing around 80 per cent of global fossil fuel production, but most signatories have yet to implement concrete policies. Abandoned wells and coal mines released around 8 million tonnes of methane in 2025, and marginal wells in the United States account for about 80 per cent of wells while contributing up to one-third of upstream methane emissions, indicating the need for targeted regulatory action at high-leakage sites.

Key figure — 200 billion cubic metres annually