The Canadian company GHGSat and the RON Netherlands Institute for Space Research have worked together to investigate hotspots of methane emissions during COVID-19. Using measurements from Sentinel-5P and GHGSat satellites, they were able to quantify and attribute the emissions to specific facilities around the world. The findings showed several hotspots that include a coal mine in China, the Permian Basin – the largest oil-producing region in the United States-, the Delaware and Midland portions of the basin. The joint analysis of GHGSat and Sentinel-5P regional methane data will continue to explore and quantify how COVID-19 is affecting emissions from the natural gas industry on a regional scale – all the way down to the level of industrial facilities.
