World’s largest methane gas leak detected in Russia

It was observed that there was a methane gas leak in the Raspadsky mine in the south of Russia. The study found that up to about 90 tons of methane is released per hour, making it the largest methane leak ever detected in a single site .

Mining company denies leak

Canada-based company GHGSat , which monitors methane leaks using a high-resolution spectrophotometer via satellites, identified 13 different leak sites last January at the Raspadskya mine in Russia’s Kemerovo region. Company officials said that the leak continued for 5 months after it was detected, not just one time.

It is stated that if the total emission rate continues at the same rate for a year, the mine will release 764,319 tons of methane . This amount would be equivalent to the amount of natural gas needed to power 2.4 million homes for a year.

Russian steel and mining giant Evraz , which operates the Raspadskaya mine, said in a statement that the numbers published by GHGSat were unrealistic. Talking about last year’s numbers, Evraz stated that the combined methane gas emitted in the region was 402,000 tons, and 6.45 tons of methane was released per hour last January.

Methane, the second most abundant greenhouse gas on our planet after carbon dioxide, has contributed up to 50% to global temperature rise in recent years, according to researchers. According to information reported by the BBC , the global warming potential of methane over a 100-year period is about 30 times that of carbon dioxide. For this reason, it is stated that reducing methane emissions in the short term has an important role in climate change .