The European Commission has recently signed a joint statement alongside global partners, which reinforces continued efforts towards the reduction of methane emissions arising across the value chain of LNG, from production to consumption. The joint statement was signed by the European Commission, Japan, the US, the Republic of Korea, and Australia in Tokyo at the LNG Producer-Consumer conference, co-organised by Japan and the IEA’s Task Force on gas and clean fuels market monitoring and supply security (TFFS). Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, was represented by Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director-General for Energy at the European Com-mission.
This initiative builds on already strong co-operation between the EU and other global leaders on methane abatement across the natural gas value chain. The EU continues to be a global leader in tackling methane emissions, spearheading the Global Methane Pledge and the Joint Declaration from Energy Importers and Exporters on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Fossil Fuels alongside the US, while implementing the EU Methane Strategy at the EU level. Fulfilling its commitments at both EU and international levels, the EU continues to play a prominent role globally in methane emissions monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) and methane emissions abatement.
The European Commission has reaffirmed its commitment to taking action on reducing methane emissions in the LNG supply chain on a number of fronts including through:
- Continued collaboration with global partners as well as the IEA, the International Methane Emissions Observatory, and the Greenhouse Gases Supply Chain Emissions MMRV international working group.
- The creation of a globally aligned methane emissions assessment framework for LNG projects.
- Continuing to support international public-private coordination on GHG reduction in LNG, especially on methane, and to work with LNG producers and consumers globally.