USLNG Emissions Intensity

Apples to Apples: Comparing the Greenhouse Gas Footprint of USLNG with Other Fuels

The USLNG Association (LNG Allies) and the American Exploration and Production Council are working with Berkeley Research Group (BRG) on a framework comparing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity of U.S. liquefied natural gas (USLNG) and other fuels in top global markets. Using full life cycle methodolo­gies and the most recent publicly available methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) data, the BRG team has pro­duced results for eight European and five Asian nations in 2022.[1] Two years in the making, this is the most exact­ing and comprehen­sive USLNG, pipeline gas, and coal comparative analysis ever completed. Download the Report

Scope of Analysis
The LCA presented in the BRG report focuses on CO2 and CH4 and evaluates their emissions volumes and intensity for the full supply chains of USLNG, pipeline gas, and coal. Each supply chain spans from upstream production or extraction, through midstream infrastructure and/or shipping, to down­stream combustion in power generation in each of the markets. The analysis uses the best and most current available data (generally from 2022) and converts CH4 emissions to a CO2 equivalent (CO2e) basis using the 20-Year Global Warming Potential of CH4 relative to CO2.

Results
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the GHG emissions intensity of USLNG in 2022 was less than 50% of coal in both Europe and Asia and lower than pipeline gas imported from Algeria, Russia, and Turkmenistan. The GHG emissions intensity of USLNG was, on the other hand, 4% higher than pipeline gas from Azerbaijan and 38% higher than gas from Norway.

Fig. 1: GHG Emissions Intensity of USLNG, Pipeline Gas Imports, and Coal Supplies to Europe

Fig. 2: GHG Emissions Intensity of USLNG, Pipeline Gas Imports, and Coal Supplies to Asia

What is different about this life cycle analysis?
On balance, the findings of this study differ significantly from the results of other recent studies, which purport to show that the GHG emissions intensity of USLNG to be greater than that of coal when used to produce electricity. This LCA differs from these studies in two principal respects:

Methodology: This study employs a bottom-up methodology to arrive at a comprehensive com­parison of the emissions intensity of USLNG and competing fuels for a specific historical time-period (2022) and specific trade corridors and supply chain segments. By comparison, the other studies are based on analyzing aggregated emissions information to develop general theoretical conclusions about the comparative GHG footprint of USLNG and coal supplies, without specific evaluation of regional, trade route, or timeframe distinctions.

Data Used: BRG uses the most up-to-date emissions data and reported/ measured emissions for each supply chain segment and delivery route. Other studies rely primarily on emission factors, many of which are outdated, as well as aggregated emission intensity results for gas and coal supply chains derived from other theoretical studies.

[1] Europe: France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Türkiye, United Kingdom. Asia: China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan. Together, these 13 markets received 80% of all USLNG deliveries in 2022.