Old drillings emit tons of methane in the North Sea

Somewhere between 3,000 and 17,000 tons of methane gas leak every year from abandoned wells in the North Sea, according to a new study. Large volumes escape into the atmosphere.
Photo: ROV KIEL6000, GEOMAR
Photo: ROV KIEL6000, GEOMAR

Climate calculations from the North Sea might be far worse than first anticipated. A new study, published in Environmental Science and Technology, describes calculations showing that unused wells in the North Sea could leak between 3,000 and 17,000 tons of methane into the sea every year. These leaks are not monitored by any authorities or included in the climate calculations from any North Sea countries.

Already a subscriber?Log in here

Read the whole article

Get access for 14 days for free. No credit card is needed, and you will not be automatically signed up for a paid subscription after the free trial.

With your free trial you get:

  • Access all locked articles
  • Receive our daily newsletters
  • Access our app
!
!
Must contain at least 6 characters
!
Must contain at least 2 characters
!
Must contain at least 2 characters

Get full access for you and your coworkers

Start a free company trial today

Sign up for our newsletter

Stay ahead of development by receiving our newsletter on the latest sector knowledge.

!
Newsletter terms

Front page now

Further reading

Jobs

See all jobs