GENERAL

FCCC/SBSTA/2004/INF.2


27 May 2004




ENGLISH ONLY

SUBSIDIARY BODY FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVICE
Twentieth session
Bonn, 1625 June 2004

Item 3 (d) of the provisional agenda
Methodological issues
Issues relating to greenhouse gas inventories

Estimation of fugitive emissions from fuels

Note by the secretariat
*









*
This note was prepared by the secretariat on the basis of input provided by Mr. David Picard.
Summary
Fugitive emissions from fuels are an important source of greenhouse gases (primarily methane
(CH
4
) and to a lesser extent carbon dioxide (CO
2
) and nitrous oxide (N
2
O)) for a number of Parties
included in Annex I to the Convention. The Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National
Greenhouse Gas Inventories (1996 IPCC Guidelines), as elaborated by the IPCC Good Practice
Guidance and Uncertainty Management in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (IPCC good
practice guidance), contain methodologies that are being used by many Parties to estimate fugitive
emissions from fuels. These methodologies range from tier 1 methods using default emission
factors to rigorous country-specific methods using country-specific emission factors. Although the
1996 IPCC Guidelines and the IPCC good practice guidance have proved to be useful tools for the
estimation of fugitive emissions from fuels, some areas for further improvement have been
identified. This document contains suggestions that could be considered by the IPCC in its work
on the development of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories and by
Parties in the preparation of national greenhouse gas inventories. FCCC/SBSTA/2004/INF.2
Page 2

CONTENTS












Paragraphs Page
I. INTRODUCTION................................................................................ 14
3

A.
Mandate...................................................................................
12
3

B.
Scope of the note.....................................................................
3
3

C.
Possible action by the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and
Technological Advice .............................................................
4
3

II. BACKGROUND.................................................................................. 56
3

III. SOLID
FUELS ..................................................................................... 727
4

A.
General ....................................................................................
78
4

B.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change methodologies .
910
4

C.
Information reported by Annex I Parties ................................
1118
4

D.
Consideration of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change methodologies ..............................................
1927
6

IV.
OIL AND NATURAL GAS.................................................................
2864
8

A.
General ....................................................................................
2832
8

B.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change methodologies .
33
10

C.
Information reported by Annex I Parties ................................
3444
10

D.
Consideration of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change methodologies ..............................................
4560
13

E.
Alternative calculation schemes .............................................
6164
17

V. CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................. 6570 19

A.
General ....................................................................................
65
19

B.
Solid fuels ...............................................................................
66
19

C.
Oil and natural gas ..................................................................
6770
19
FCCC/SBSTA/2004/INF.2
Page 3


I. Introduction
A. Mandate
1.
The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), at its seventeenth
session, invited the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to revise the Revised 1996 IPCC
Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (1996 IPCC Guidelines) taking into consideration
the relevant work under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, and to aim to complete the work by
early 2006.
1
In response, the IPCC initiated this work in 2003 and agreed on the terms of reference, table
of contents and work programme for the development of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National
Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2006 IPCC Guidelines).
2.
The SBSTA, at its nineteenth session, considered the initial information on methodological
issues relating to the preparation of national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories by Parties, contained in
document FCCC/SBSTA/2003/INF.10, and decided to forward it to the IPCC for consideration. It also
requested the secretariat to continue to cooperate with the IPCC and provide more detailed information
based on the latest available GHG inventory submissions by Parties and the results of the technical
review of GHG inventories. Such information could serve as input to the planned IPCC meetings that
will take place during the development of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines.
2

B. Scope of the note
3.
This note addresses methodological issues relating to the estimation of fugitive emissions from
fuels.
3
It provides brief descriptions of the methodological information that was submitted by Parties
included in Annex I to the Convention (Annex I Parties) in their 2003 GHG inventory submissions, of
information on the methodologies included in the 1996 IPCC Guidelines and the IPCC Good Practice
Guidance and Uncertainty Management in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (IPCC good practice
guidance), and of other methodological information that is available for the estimation of fugitive
emissions from fuels.
C. Possible action by the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice
4.
The SBSTA is invited to consider the information in this note and forward it to the IPCC for its
consideration. Parties may wish to consider the information in this note when preparing their national
GHG inventories.
II. Background
5.
Fugitive emissions from fuels are an important source of greenhouse gases (primarily methane
(CH
4
) and to a lesser extent carbon dioxide (CO
2
) and nitrous oxide (N
2
O)). Emissions of CH
4
from this
sector often account for a large portion of a Partys total national CH
4
emissions.
6.
The 1996 IPCC Guidelines and the IPCC good practice guidance provide methodologies and
advice to GHG inventory experts on how to estimate fugitive emissions from all fuels (solid, liquid and
gaseous). According to the 1996 IPCC Guidelines, emissions of CH
4
can be estimated from data on the
amount and type of fuel produced, transported and processed.

1
FCCC/SBSTA/2002/13, paragraph 14 (f).
2
FCCC/SBSTA/2003/15, paragraphs 17 (a) and (c).
3
Methodological information on other sectors is provided in document FCCC/SBSTA/2004/INF.3 which deals with
emissions from road transport, and FCCC/SBSTA/2004/INF.4, which deals with agriculture. FCCC/SBSTA/2004/INF.2
Page 4


III. Solid fuels
A. General
7.
Fugitive emissions from solid fuels are generated primarily by coal mining and handling
activities, but may also include contributions from a variety of other sources including the transformation
of coal to coke, burning coal mines, abandoned mines, and the gathering and handling of other solid fuels
such as peat. Most of the fugitive emissions from coal mining and handling are attributed to the release
of natural gas from the coal seam (coal-bed CH
4
with trace amounts of heavier hydrocarbons, CO
2
and
sometimes hydrogen sulphide (H
2
S)) as the mine is being worked. The amount of gas present in a coal
seam tends to increase with the depth of the mine. Degassing wells are sometimes drilled to help remove
free gas from the coal seam before mining. If the gas is conserved by a gathering system, any associated
fugitive emissions are estimated and reported under natural gas systems (see chapter IV). If the gas is
simply vented or flared, these emissions are attributed to coal mining. Coal-bed CH
4
may also be
released by mine dewatering wells.
8.
After coal has been mined, some residual natural gas remains trapped in the interstitial pores and
physically adsorbed on its external and internal surfaces. This residual gas is slowly released over time,
with larger releases potentially occurring each time the coal is agitated (e.g., loaded or unloaded), during
crushing and cleaning and, where applicable, when it is finally pulverized.
B. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change methodologies
9.
The 1996 IPCC Guidelines and the IPCC good practice guidance present methodologies for
estimating CH
4
emissions from coal-related activities such as mining and post-mining handling and
processing. For each activity different emission factors are used depending on whether the coal is from
an underground or a surface mine. Three different methodological tiers are provided:
(a)
Tier 1: application of default emission factors to the amount of coal produced or handled
(b)
Tier 2: application of country-specific emission factors to the amount of coal produced
or handled
(c)
Tier 3: use of emission-measurement results for individual mines.
10.
Generally, the higher the methodological tier, th