Mexico

Emissions Profiles

Mexico is the world's seventh largest emitter of methane. Approximately 61 percent of its anthropogenic methane emissions—112.9 MTCO2E—come from landfills, natural gas and oil systems, and coal mines.

Mexico 2005 Methane Emissions by Source

Source: 2006 USEPA Report: Global Anthropogenic Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions:1990-2020 http://www.epa.gov/nonco2/econ-inv/international.html Exiting Methane to Markets.

Experience and Opportunities for Methane Projects

Mexico's coal mine methane emissions offer significant project opportunities. To date, at least one coal mine in northern Mexico has instituted a degasification program. Mexico has also installed landfill gas collection systems at two landfills in Mexico City. Both sites currently flare the captured gas but anticipate developing energy recovery projects in the future.

On March 24, 2006, the U.S. EPA, USAID, and the Mexican Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) signed a letter of cooperation stating their commitment to collaborate on methane utilization projects in Mexico. Under the terms of this agreement, the agencies will work with local governments and the private sector to share and expand the use of technologies to recover and use methane gas that is currently released into the atmosphere.

Under this agreement, two landfills along the U.S.-Mexico border were identified for project development. These landfill gas projects are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 45,000 MTCO2E each year.

In the oil and gas sector, Petróleos Mexicanos (Mexico's state-owned oil company) and USAID funded two pilot projects with significant potential for methane emission reductions. The purpose of these projects is to upgrade compressors used in the gas pipeline transmission system and implement a technology that captures fugitive gas emissions from oil storage tanks.

Committee Membership

Mexico participates in the following committees:

  • Steering Committee
  • Taskforce on Outreach and Communications
  • Coal Technical Subcommittee
  • Oil and Gas Technical Subcommittee (Co-Chair)
  • Landfill Technical Subcommittee

Mexcio Subcommittee Contacts.

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