Assessing emissions from LNG supply and abatement options
About this report
Drawing on the latest and best available data, this report provides a comprehensive estimate of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply chain, including from upstream production, processing, and pipeline transmission to liquefaction, shipping, and regasification.
It also discusses the significant emissions reductions that are technically feasible with today’s technologies including through methane abatement, electrification using low-emissions power, process efficiency improvements, and the elimination of routine flaring, as well as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) for managing the naturally-occurring CO2 from LNG supply.
Introduction
Around 550 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas were exported as liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2024, just under 15% of global natural gas consumption. A further 500 bcm of natural gas were transported through pipelines. Global LNG supply has grown faster than overall natural gas demand in recent years. This trend is set to continue with the arrival of nearly 300 bcm of new annual LNG supply capacity between 2025 and 2030.
Previous International Energy Agency (IEA) analysis has highlighted that the greenhouse gas emissions associated with extracting, processing and transporting natural gas are, on average, around 12 grammes of CO2 equivalent (g CO2-eq) per megajoule (MJ). About 55 g CO2/MJ are emitted when natural gas is combusted and so the process of extracting natural gas and bringing it to consumers represents 15% of its full life‑cycle emissions.
There is a broad range of emissions from extracting, processing and transporting natural gas, which vary by more than five-fold across different geographies. Given the high energy requirements to liquefy and transport gas over long distances, LNG tends to have higher emissions than natural gas that is produced close to where it is consumed (emissions from gas transported by pipeline also vary widely, often according to the distances involved).
Several importing countries are starting to assess the emissions intensity of oil and gas imports, for example, through the EU regulation on methane emissions and the Coalition for LNG Emissions Abatement toward Net-zero (CLEAN). There has been a large increase in the availability and reporting of emissions data from the natural gas value chain in recent years. However, estimates are still subject to a high degree of uncertainty.
This interim report estimates emissions from LNG supply today, based on the latest and best available data including those from scientific studies and measurement campaigns. It covers upstream production and processing of natural gas, pipeline transmission from processing facilities to export terminals, liquefaction processes, shipping and regasification at import terminals. It considers methane emissions, flaring, naturally occurring sources of CO2 and energy consumption from across the supply chain. It also explores mitigation options, covering pathways to reduce methane emissions and flaring, improving efficiency across all stages of the LNG chain, electrifying key processes, and deploying carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS). This report will feed into a report in 2026 providing a toolkit for LNG producers to reduce emissions.
This report does not assess emissions from natural gas distribution, from end-use combustion, avoided or additional emissions from switching to or from LNG from other fuels, or emissions associated with other potential sources of LNG (e.g. biomethane or “e‑methane”).