Methane Emissions

In recent years, global economic uncertainty and geopolitical turmoil have put our reliance on foreign energy imports in the spotlight. The U.S. is investing heavily in solar projects at a time when China controls over 80% of global solar manufacturing capacity. This dependence on foreign manufacturing poses a significant risk to our nation's energy security.

Mitigating Methane Emissions

Virginia is working closely with the natural gas industry to implement best practices and technologies to detect, capture, and reduce methane emissions across the natural gas supply chain. Regulatory oversight and collaboration with environmental groups also play a key role in addressing this challenge.

Infrastructure Needs

The expansion of natural gas production and distribution infrastructure, such as pipelines and storage facilities, can face challenges related to environmental impact assessments, community concerns, and complex permitting processes.

Process Improvements

Virginia continues to support improvements to the permitting and approval processes for natural gas infrastructure project, as well as local community and environmental stakeholder engagement to address concerns and ensure responsible development.

Natural gas is a versatile and widely used energy source that plays a critical role in Virginia's energy landscape. It is used for electricity generation, heating, and as an industrial feedstock. Understanding the technologies involved in natural gas extraction, processing, and utilization is essential for appreciating its role in the energy sector.

A range of technologies and processes are involved in the lifecycle of natural gas, from extraction to consumption. Below is an overview of some key technologies and methods used in the natural gas industry. For more information, visit the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

• Storage & Consumer Delivery: Natural gas delivery involves several infrastructure components, including processing, transportation, and storage. The gas must be processed to remove impurities before being transported through pipelines. This includes steps like dehydration and contaminant removal. Natural gas is transmitted via interstate and intrastate pipelines to consumer areas. Storage facilities, such as depleted fields and salt caverns are used to manage fluctuations in demand, ensuring supply during peak usage periods.
• Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS): As concerns about greenhouse gas emissions grow, CCUS technology is being developed to capture carbon dioxide emissions from natural gas power plants and store them underground. This technology aims to reduce the environmental impact of emissions created by natural gas when used in power generation.
• Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): Natural gas is cooled in order to convert it into a liquid form, which reduces its volume by about 600 times. This process facilitates the storage and transportation of natural gas over long distances, especially where pipelines are not feasible. LNG technology is crucial for exporting natural gas and for regions with limited pipeline infrastructure.
• Compressed Natural Gas (CNG): Natural gas is compressed to less than 1% of its volume at standard atmospheric pressure. CNG is used as a cleaner alternative to gasoline and diesel for vehicles, offering reduced emissions and cost savings.
• Combined Cycle Power Plants: These plants use both gas and steam turbines to generate electricity. Natural gas is burned in a gas turbine, and the hot exhaust gases are used to produce steam, which drives a steam turbine. This process increases the efficiency of electricity generation compared to traditional gas-fired power plants.
• Combustion Turbine: These plants use exhaust gases to drive a turbine to produce electricity. These facilities can spin up relatively fast to meet increasing demand.
• Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking): This is a common method developed in the 1940's used to extract natural gas from tight rock formations with low permeability. It involves injecting high-pressure fluid directly into the producing formations to fracture rock layers and release natural gas. Recent innovations in new fracking technologies, specifically around using recycled water, have helped to mitigate water usage. Typical hydraulic fracturing operations in Virginia do not use large quantities of water.

Department of Energy API provides users the same analytical tools available through the DOE's web interface, without compromising the security or anonymity of the database.

Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management at the U.S. Department of Energy provides the latest research, data, and educational materials on natural gas and other fossil energy sources.

EIA Natural Gas Data and Analysis from the U.S. Energy Information Administration offers detailed statistics, reports, and analysis on the natural gas industry.

American Gas Association is the national trade association for the natural gas industry, offering resources, data, and policy updates.

National Energy Technology Laboratory

Interstate Natural Gas Association of America focuses on issues related to the natural gas pipeline network and infrastructure.

Natural Gas Supply Association provides information on natural gas supply, markets, and policy developments.