The objective of the programme is to explore methane management methods and technologies along the value chain in key energy-related extractive industries, namely coal, natural gas and oil, for the purpose of determining and promoting the most efficient methods of measuring, reporting and verification of methane emissions in these industries, and developing best practices for preventing such emissions. (For more details please see Project Document)
Under the overarching objective to develop normative instruments for methane management across energy-based extractive industries, the programme has been conceived as comprising three phases:
- Phase 1: Develop a set of best practices on measuring, reporting and verification of methane emissions
- Phase 2: Develop a set of best practices for abatement of methane emissions
- Phase 3: Develop an approach to monetize methane emissions abatement
In consultation with stakeholders, it became clear that stakeholder communities differed significantly across the sectors and therefore it became apparent that it was not sufficient to simply create three groups across coal, natural gas and oil industries. Consequently, the following three pillar structure that is composed of a number of actors prominent in the relevant fields and led by the UNECE Sustainable Energy Division has been developed:
