EU Regulation 2024/1787: key points on reducing methane emissions in the energy sector

Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas after CO2 in terms of its contribution to climate change, accounting for approximately one third of current global warming.

According to the IPPC, its global warming impact is 86 times greater than that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, making it a critical priority in European climate policy.

Faced with this scientific reality, the European Union approved Regulation (EU) 2024/1787 of the European Parliament and of the Council, published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 15 July 2024, which represents the first binding regulatory framework at global level to comprehensively control methane emissions in the fossil energy sectors.

This regulation marks a paradigm shift: it abandons the voluntary approach that characterised previous initiatives such as OGMP 2.0 (United Nations Environment Programme – UNEP Methane and Gas Alliance) and introduces immediate and verifiable obligations for fossil fuel operators and importers with the aim of cost-effectively reducing 77% of methane emissions associated with oil, gas and coal by 2030.

This contributes to limiting global warming to 1.5°C in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal.

What is the EU Regulation on methane emission reduction and when does it come into force?

Regulation 2024/1787 is a legal instrument directly applicable in all Member States which, unlike directives, does not require national transposition.

This regulation establishes a comprehensive framework for measuring, reporting and verifying (MRV) methane emissions, in addition to operational mitigation obligations through leak detection and repair (LDAR), as well as severe restrictions on routine methane venting and flaring.

(EU) 2024/1787 entered into force on 4 August 2024; however, the deadlines for its implementation are staggered, allowing operators and importers a gradual adaptation process that extends until 2030.

Sectors and activities where (EU) 2024/1787 applies

Regulation 2024/1787 applies comprehensively to all fossil fuel sectors within the European Union, covering the entire value chain: from production to importation.

In the oil and natural gas sector, all activities are regulated:

• Exploration and production, including inactive, temporarily plugged and abandoned wells.

• Gas collection and treatment.

• Transport by pipeline.

• Distribution to end consumers.

• Underground gas storage.

• Liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities that process imported fuel.

The application in the coal sector is equally comprehensive:

• Active underground mines

• Open-pit mines

• Closed or abandoned mines that still emit residual methane.

In addition, importers of fossil fuels (i.e. those who trade crude oil, natural gas or coal from third countries on the Union market) are required to provide verified information on methane emissions from their international suppliers, demonstrating that the fuels were measured, reported and verified in accordance with standards equivalent to the regulation.

The three operational pillars of compliance: MRV, LDAR and Mitigation

The new European regulation for methane reduction in the energy sector structures the obligations of operators and importers around three pillars of interdependent operations: Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV), Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) and Venting and Flaring Restrictions (Mitigation).

MRV: Monitoring, Reporting and Verification

The MRV pillar establishes the duty to accurately measure, transparently report and independently verify how much methane each operator emits.

It is no longer sufficient to provide estimates. Based on OGMP 2.0 standards, the regulation requires a progressive transition from Level 1 methods—based on generic emission factors—to Levels 4 or 5, which involve direct measurements and data reconciliation between source-level measurements and site-level totals.

• Level 1: company-level reporting based on generic emission factors.

• Level 2: segment- or asset-level reporting based on emission factors.

• Level 3: source-specific reporting using site- or sector-specific emission factors.

• Level 4: reporting based on direct source-level measurements.

• Level 5: the highest standard, including direct source-level measurements and technical reconciliation with overall site measurements.

For practical purposes, the text distinguishes between three levels of work: source-level measurement, site-level measurement, and reconciliation between the two when the results do not match.

At the source level, the regulation requires methane emissions to be quantified at each component or potential emission point. This includes valves, flanges, compressors, connections, pressurised equipment and, in general, any element where a leak may exist or appear over time.

This granular measurement is the basis for building inventories that no longer depend on generic factors and instead reflect the actual behaviour of each facility.

At the same time, the Regulation introduces the obligation to measure at site level, i.e. to have at least one measurement that provides an overview of the entire facility. This ‘site-level’ does not necessarily have to depend on a single instrument: it can be based on sensors mounted on mobile platforms (vehicles, drones, aircraft, boats or even satellites) or on networks of fixed sensors distributed around the site, as well as on continuous spot measurements located strategically.

The Regulation itself goes a step further and requires both levels of quantification to be compared and reconciled. If the sum of the emissions measured at source level (component by component) does not reasonably match the overall measurement at site level, the operator must investigate the source of the discrepancy and adjust their inventory or measurement programme.

This may reveal, for example, unidentified sources, intermittent leaks that are only noticeable under certain conditions, or errors in the emission factors assigned to certain equipment. From a compliance perspective, this reconciliation requirement is key: it is not enough to measure, it must be demonstrated that the different measurement methods ‘fit’ together in a consistent and verifiable manner.

LDAR Leak Detection and Repair Technique

The LDAR pillar is the operational mechanism that focuses on fugitive emissions of methane from defective technical components. These leaks are not isolated accidents but the inevitable consequence of normal wear and tear, corrosion, manufacturing imperfections and degradation of materials subjected to pressure, temperature, humidity and expansion-contraction cycles over decades.

The regulation distinguishes between two types of LDAR campaigns differentiated by the detection threshold.

• Type 1 LDAR campaigns are used to detect large leaks or ‘super-emitter’ events above 7,000 ppm by volume.

• Type 2 LDAR campaigns look for smaller leaks, around 500 ppm, with the aim of capturing incipient leaks.

When a leak above the threshold is detected, the operator immediately decides whether to repair or replace the component within a maximum of 5 days after the event, completing the task within 30 days of detection.

In the case of these LDAR campaigns, Regulation 2024/1787 specifies where methane should be measured depending on the type of component and its physical location. The general rule is that the measurement should be taken ‘as close as possible to the source,’ but the text distinguishes between three very different cases: surface components, underground components, and marine components.

• For surface components or those located above sea level, LDAR campaigns must be carried out by bringing the detection devices (OGI cameras, QOGI, NDIR detectors, etc.) as close as safety permits to the potential emission source itself. In practice, this involves directly inspecting valves, flanges, joints, drains, instrumentation connections and any other elements where mechanical stresses or conditions conducive to wear are concentrated. The aim is to visually or quantitatively identify the leak in the exact component where it is occurring so that it can be repaired or the component replaced according to clear priority criteria.
• For underground components, the Regulation establishes a two-phase methodology. In the first phase, the operator carries out a preliminary detection at the point of contact between the ground and the atmosphere, i.e. on the surface: the traces of buried pipes, manholes, chambers or access points are scanned with appropriate equipment to detect the presence of methane that has migrated from the subsoil. Only if concentrations above the defined thresholds are detected in this first phase is a second phase initiated, in which excavation or bar-hole drilling is carried out to bring the measurement as close as possible to the actual source of the leak. This second phase allows the intensity of the leak to be accurately quantified and the most appropriate intervention to be decided.
• In the marine environment, the regulation recognises that operating conditions are radically different. For components located at sea level or below the seabed, it requires the use of the best available detection techniques adapted to that context, provided that they are in line with the sensitivity and reliability requirements of the Regulation.

Mitigation objective: restrictions on routine venting and flaring of methane

The third pillar establishes actions focused on eradicating inefficient operating practices. Routine venting is prohibited except in emergency situations, safety failures or strictly justified one-off maintenance.

For each permitted venting, the operator must document why other alternatives were not viable – gas reinjection, in-situ use for electricity or heat generation, delivery to market or flaring as a last resort.

With regard to flaring, the regulation requires that it be replaced by reinjection or commercial use of the gas whenever technically possible. If necessary, the flare must ensure at least 99% methane destruction efficiency, which requires constant monitoring of combustion conditions to prevent methane from simply being released into the atmosphere without being burned.

Operators must report annually all venting/flaring incidents: date, duration, volume of methane released, cause and corrective actions, with any undocumented venting detected by an inspector being considered a serious infringement.

Coal mines: measurement points and frequency

In the specific case of coal, Regulation (EU) 2024/1787 does not leave methane measurement to the operator’s interpretation: it explicitly defines at which points it should be measured and how often, differentiating between active mines and closed or abandoned mines. The underlying logic is that most of the methane in this sector is concentrated and released through specific ventilation and drainage systems, so monitoring must focus precisely on these exit points.

In active underground mines, measurement must be carried out by means of continuous direct measurement at all ventilation shaft exits. This requires the installation of equipment in the ventilation ducts capable of continuously monitoring the concentrations and flow rates of methane released into the atmosphere, so that the volume emitted can be calculated in near real time. These are not one-off campaigns, but a permanent system that records the evolution of emissions over time and allows significant deviations from the baseline level to be detected.

In addition, at mine gas drainage stations, the regulations also require continuous direct measurement of total methane emissions, including both methane that is vented and methane that is flared. In this way, the operator must be able to demonstrate not only how much gas is being extracted and evacuated to ensure mine safety, but also how much of that gas is effectively destroyed by combustion and how much is emitted without being burned.

This information is essential for calculating the actual intensity of mining emissions and for evaluating options for energy recovery from mine methane (CBM/CMM).

The case of closed or abandoned mines is specifically addressed in Annex VIII, which focuses particularly on those closed after 3 August 1954. The text requires the identification of points of possible residual emissions—for example, old ventilation shafts, mine entrances, galleries connected to the surface, or associated structures—and the installation of measuring equipment on the elements listed in point 1.5 of Annex VIII when emissions exceeding 0.5 tonnes of methane per year are detected.

In these cases, the frequency of measurement cannot be merely sporadic: it must be at least hourly, which in practice implies automatic monitoring systems that report data continuously or quasi-continuously.

This approach makes coal mines—both active and closed—one of the segments with the strictest monitoring requirements in the entire Regulation.

Continuous methane monitoring technologies for compliance with Regulation (EU) 2024/1787

To meet the level of accuracy required for site-level data reconciliation and rapid detection of super-emitter events, relying solely on quarterly manual LDAR campaigns is insufficient.

Although periodic inspections are mandatory, they leave temporary ‘blind spots’ between campaigns where intermittent leaks or unplanned venting episodes can occur that the regulation does not allow to be ignored.

This is where continuous monitoring using IoT sensor-based devices becomes an indispensable complement. The implementation of sensor networks such as Nanoenvi EQ enables 24/7 surveillance of critical points around the perimeter of the facility. These devices, designed to monitor outdoor air quality, can be equipped with highly sensitive gas sensors and send real-time data to cloud platforms via 4G, Ethernet, WiFi or LoRaWAN, facilitating the early detection of anomalies that would not appear in a spot inspection.

Detection of intermittent events: many leaks or unplanned venting occur during temporary windows that manual campaigns do not capture. A network of fixed sensors acts as an early warning system: when it detects an abnormal increase in methane concentration, it allows an LDAR team with OGI/QOGI cameras to be mobilised to locate and quantify the source, thereby proactively complying with the detection and repair deadlines set out in Article 14.

Support for data reconciliation at site level: having time series of historical concentration data at the site integrated into digital platforms facilitates the generation of auditable MRV reports. This data allows for comparison between what is calculated by adding up emissions at the source level and what is actually observed at the site level, and helps to explain or correct discrepancies, as required by the regulation when it refers to reconciling ‘source-based’ and ‘site-based’ quantification.

In addition to Nanoenvi EQ, Envira supplies and deploys immission gas analysers and process equipment that comply with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2024/1787 for continuous monitoring of methane and other relevant gases:

• Teledyne API – N901: quasi-continuous hydrocarbon analyser that measures methane (CH₄), total hydrocarbons (THC) and calculates non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) using a flame ionisation detector (FID) combined with gas chromatography, specifically for monitoring ambient air and fugitive emissions. This type of equipment is particularly useful when it is necessary to distinguish between methane and other volatile organic compounds in refining or gas environments.
• Siemens – ULTRAMAT 23: multigas analyser that can continuously measure up to four components, including CO₂ and CH₄ by infrared, as well as O₂ and H₂S using electrochemical or paramagnetic cells. It is a robust solution for monitoring chimneys, combustion gases or process streams where methane is part of a complex mixture.
• Ankersmid – atmosFIR CEM: complete continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) based on FTIR spectroscopy, capable of simultaneously measuring multiple gases (CO, NOx, SO₂, NH₃, HCl, HF, CH₄, CO₂, H₂O, etc.) and adding new components via software as regulatory requirements evolve. Its ability to measure CH₄ in hot and wet streams makes it suitable for combustion facilities and processes where flue gas has high humidity or temperature.
• SICK – MCS100FT: certified multi-component FTIR system for emissions monitoring, which includes CH₄ among the parameters measured along with CO, CO₂, Corg, HCl, HF, NOx, SO₂ and others, with typical ranges for methane that can reach tens or hundreds of ppm depending on the configuration. It is suitable for installations that require compliance with continuous emission limits and traceable documentation.
• SICK – MCS200HW: multigas analyser that simultaneously measures up to ten infrared-active components (including CH₄) in addition to O₂, with certified ranges for methane in mg/m³ and the ability to operate in demanding environments. Its modular approach allows it to be adapted to different chimney or process line configurations.
• SICK – S700: family of extractive analysers configurable for biogas, natural gas and process gas applications, where methane measurement is critical for gas quality control and the optimisation of methanation and upgrading processes. In the context of the regulation, this equipment can be used both to characterise process streams and to feed MRV inventories with high-precision data.
• SICK – FLOWSIC100 and FLOWSIC100 Flare‑XT: ultrasonic flow meters designed for measuring gas flow in chimneys and, in the case of the Flare‑XT model, specifically for flare gas and vent stacks. Although they do not measure methane concentration themselves, they are essential for calculating mass and volumetric gas flows in vents and flares, allowing concentration data (from analysers such as those mentioned above) to be converted into total CH₄ emissions in kg/h or t/year, as required by the regulation for reporting total emissions and evaluating flare combustion efficiency.

By combining these continuous gas analysis devices with IoT sensor networks and multi-parameter stations such as Nanoenvi EQ, it is possible to design a monitoring architecture that covers the entire chain of requirements of Regulation (EU) 2024/1787: from early detection of leaks and intermittent events to continuous measurement at regulated emission points (chimneys, flares, vent wells, drainage stations) and robust reconciliation between source and site data in MRV reports.

Continuous monitoring equipment recommended by site type

Conclusion

Regulation (EU) 2024/1787 represents a turning point in global climate governance. For the first time, a comprehensive regulatory framework has been adopted that imposes binding, verifiable and enforceable obligations to reduce methane emissions across the fossil fuel chain.

This regulatory framework is based on three interconnected pillars: MRV, LDAR and Mitigation.

Since you cannot reduce what you do not measure, MRV promotes data transparency by requiring the measurement, reporting and verification of the amount of methane emitted both at source and globally at sites.

LDAR campaigns, meanwhile, seek to detect CH4 leaks early and repair equipment in a short period of time. Finally, the mitigation pillar eliminates the ‘easy routes’ of routine venting and flaring in order to prevent uncontrolled methane emissions into the atmosphere.

Continuous monitoring becomes an indispensable tool for successful regulatory compliance.