The Australian Petroleum, Production and Exploration Association as hit back at claims by The Australia Institute that it is underestimating the amount of fugitive emissions from coal seam gas wells.

Fugitive emissions are those that are released during the extraction, transportation and use of natural gas, which is predominantly methane.

They are currently estimated at around 1.2% of all gas production.

The Australia Institute, a think tank and research body, cites research from America which it says concludes that fugitive emissions from shale gas are up to 7% of all production.

Shale gas is not coal seam gas, but senior economist with the Institute, Mr Matt Gudnoff said that both use the fracking process which is where much of the fugitive emissions are created.

According to The Australia Institute, the United States Environmental Protection Authority has used the report to double the suspected level of fugitive emissions to 2.4%

APPEA said that it is writing to the Australia Institute to request corrections and retraction to the report it has released, with particular reference to the use of the report from Cornell University in the USA into shale gas, which it says has been widely debunked.

It also wants the Institute to desist from using what it says is the 'unquestioned use' of US EPA figures which do not relate to the Australian CSG industry and which the US shale industry is contesting.

Source - ABC NET

(www.coalguru.com)