Objective To further investigate the pathways for reducing methane emissions in the gas fields and offer recommendations and references for managing methane emissions in domestic upstream natural gas production industry.

Method Through the analysis of methane emission sources in domestic upstream natural gas production industry, methane emission reduction measures were discussed, difficulties in emission reduction were analyzed, and relevant suggestions were put forward for the next step of methane emission reduction in gas fields.

Result According to the three levels of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the classification of new emission sources was summarized, and four types of emission reduction measures were compared. It was concluded that the current energy supply transformation project and methane leakage detection and repair engineering process are relatively mature, and the emission reduction effect is good. However, three formidable obstacles impede the next phase of methane emission control: insufficient emission reduction potential, lack of methane emission monitoring equipment, and the absence of localized emission factors.

Conclusion To successfully achieve the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, the study suggests strengthening research on gas recovery technology, guiding enterprises to reduce emissions voluntarily, and enhancing the industry's enthusiasm for methane emission reduction. Concurrently, it is necessary to accelerate the establishment of localized emission factor database and methane monitoring methodologies. These efforts will underpin the application of diverse emission reduction technologies and measures, facilitate accurate measurement of emission reduction efficacy, and promote the international recognition of China's natural gas industry's emission reduction achievements.