Months-long methane mega-leak in Kazakhstan

In February 2024, it was revealed by BBC that Kazakhstan experienced one of the most severe methane leaks ever recorded at a remote well the previous year. The blowout, leading to a six-month-long fire, resulted in an estimated escape of 127,000 tons of methane—a greenhouse gas significantly more potent than carbon dioxide. Despite the environmental impact, Buzachi Neft, the company that owns owning the well, denies a substantial methane leak.

The leak, starting on June 9, 2023, during drilling in the Mangistau region, southwestern Kazakhstan, was only controlled on December 25, 2023. The US Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator equates the impact to driving over 717,000 petrol cars for a year. The unprecedented magnitude and duration of the leak raised concerns, with experts calling it extremely significant.

Satellite data, initially investigated by Kayrros and later verified by the Netherlands Institute for Space Research and the Polytechnic University of Valencia, revealed high methane concentrations on 115 occasions between June and December. The total estimated methane release makes it potentially the second worst man-made methane leak, following the Nord Stream sabotage in September 2022, which released up to 230,000 tons of methane.

Methane, responsible for about 30% of the global temperature rise since the Industrial Revolution, poses a severe climate threat. Despite Buzachi Neft's denial, external research commissioned by the company casts doubt on Kayrros' findings, suggesting a potential misinterpretation of gases. However, the verifying teams stand by their measurements, emphasizing the consistency across multiple satellite instruments.

An official probe into the incident found Buzachi Neft's inadequate supervision during drilling and blamed subcontractor Zaman Energo for numerous failures. Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy stated that addressing such leaks is a complex technical operation, and there is no universal solution. This incident highlights Kazakhstan's susceptibility to methane leaks, prompting concerns about future risks given the projected increase in natural gas production. Kazakhstan, at COP28, pledged to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030 as part of the Global Methane Pledge.