Satellites Reveal 2025's Worst Methane Mega-Leaks
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- UCLA's Stop Methane Project analyzed Carbon Mapper satellite data and identified 4,400 significant methane plumes in 2025, each emitting more than ~100kg/hour—the equivalent of running 20,000 SUVs—with dozens qualifying as mega-leaks comparable in heating impact to a coal-fired power station.
- Turkmenistan dominates the top 25 oil-and-gas mega-leak list, with researchers describing the scale of leaks in the authoritarian state as previously "mind-boggling" despite October claims by Türkmengaz official Muhammetberdi Byashiev that repairs are completed within two to three days.
- Texas hosted the largest detected US mega-leak of 2025, releasing 5.5 tonnes of methane per hour and apparently operated by Energy Transfer, which did not respond to comment; nine of America's ten worst oil-and-gas leaks occurred in the state.
- State-owned facilities in Venezuela (five mega-leaks) and Iran (three) also ranked among the worst offenders, though Türkmennebit, Türkmengaz, PDVSA, the National Iranian Oil Company, and the National Iranian Gas Company all declined to respond to inquiries.
- Landfill sites in Turkey, Algeria, Malaysia, and the US also produced super-polluting plumes, with rotting organic waste releasing massive methane volumes where poorly managed.
- Methane accounts for 25% of current global heating and has surged "scarily" since 2007, though UCLA's Cara Horowitz called it "maddening" that simple infrastructure fixes—often cost-free since captured gas is sellable—remain undone.
- The European Union is phasing in strict methane-leak limits on imported gas, and Horowitz flagged Turkmenistan's EU market ambitions as a "buyer beware" moment for potential European buyers.
Why it matters: With methane driving 25% of global heating and surging since 2007, the UCLA finding that the worst leaks stem from poor—not expensive—maintenance reframes the climate fight: regulators and EU gas importers now have public, satellite-verified evidence naming specific operators and countries to pressure, while Turkmenistan's state claims of rapid repairs are contradicted by the data.
