Carbon neutral liquefied natural gas — current status, perspectives and carbon footprint reducing methods

Background. The field of knowledge of LNG decarbonization is modern and relevant. Since the first carbon-neutral LNG supply appeared in mid-2019, more than 30 supply transactions have been completed (mainly to Asia-Pacific countries). Gas is expected to be a key energy carrier in the coming decades in period of active energy transition. Reducing CO₂ emissions during LNG supply is an essential part of the sustainable environmental development for countries and companies. This causes the growing interest of companies and associations (GIIGNL, GECF) in the development of unified methodologies for calculating and accounting of emissions in whole the chain of production, transport and consumption of LNG.

Materials and methods. The article presents the overview of international experience and comparison of various approaches to account and minimize the carbon footprint of LNG. The methods of system analysis of scientific researches and industrial reports were used.

Results. The review study described in this article, for the first time in Russian, covers in detail the issues of reducing the carbon footprint for LNG. The average batch of 70,000 tons of LNG in production, transport and consumption generates emissions of about 240,000 tons of CO₂-equivalent. For LNG supply to be recognized as carbon neutral, CO₂ emissions from the full cycle of production, liquefaction/transport and consumption of natural gas must be included. It is emphasized that there are various options to reduce CO₂ emissions, which are divided into 3 categories: compensation with natural solutions, reducing emissions through energy efficiency, avoiding emissions through renewables and carbon capture and storage in geological reservoirs (CCS). The main share of emissions, 67-75%, comes from the end-use of LNG with combustion at power plants (Scope 3), while the processes of gas production, treatment / liquefaction, maritime transport and regasification (Scope 1, 2) account for about 25-33%. Companies currently offset their emissions with natural solutions (from companies' nature project portfolios or carbon credits purchased from voluntary markets). In the medium term, companies are aiming to improve energy efficiency and the introduction of renewable energy, in the long term — to capture and store in geological storages (CCS).

Conclusions. Finally, groundwork has been created for further researches and applied studies, which is especially relevant due to the growing interest of the government and industrial enterprises in reducing the carbon footprint.

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