Estimating Methane Emissions from Non-Producing Oil and Gas Wells in British Columbia Using a Helicopter-Based Methane Detection System

Non-producing oil and gas wells emit methane, a greenhouse gas with approximately 80 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry is crucial in assuring Canada reaches its pledge of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030. Currently, British Columbia (BC) hosts approximately 20,000 non-producing oil and gas wells. The British Columbia Energy Regulator (BCER) has been conducting annual LiDAR-based helicopter surveys of methane emissions, with 1,334 non-producing oil and gas wells surveyed from 2017 to 2024. To estimate methane emissions rates using BCER's helicopter survey data, we performed a controlled release test of the Lasen Airborne LiDAR Pipeline Inspection System to evaluate the detection range. The controlled-release testing involved multiple helicopter flyovers over a single site, during which various methane flow rates, ranging from 0.05 to 1.8 kg/hr, were released. We used our test results to combine available BCER aerial survey data and ground-based measurements and estimate total methane emissions from non-producing oil and gas wells across BC.