MEPs want to tighten rules on oil well leaks

The European Parliament is tightening the rules to limit methane emissions from oil and gas wells. Oil and gas companies and coal mine operators will be required to regularly inspect their equipment to repair leaks immediately.

Partagez:

The European Parliament voted on Tuesday to tighten rules on methane emissions from oil and gas wells, tightening monitoring and repair obligations and also targeting energy imports into the European Union.

The text adopted by MEPs in plenary, which will now be negotiated with Member States, also calls on the European Commission to set a “binding target” for reducing EU methane emissions from the energy sector by 2030.

The EU committed itself at the COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 to reduce by 30% by 2030 (compared to 2020) its methane emissions, a greenhouse gas with a warming power approximately 80 times greater than CO2 over twenty years. But no binding targets were then detailed in the Commission’s proposal to limit emissions from fossil fuel extraction. The legislation will require oil and gas companies and coal miners to inspect their equipment frequently and repair leaks immediately.

MEPs voted to increase the frequency of checks and, above all, to drastically lower the thresholds at which leaks must be detected and plugged – rules that are much stricter than those proposed by the Commission and endorsed by the Member States at the end of December. “The positions of the Council (the body representing the States) were not very ambitious”, while for the gas and oil industry, “three quarters of methane emissions can be avoided by simple measures and without major investments”, pleaded the German MEP Jutta Paulus (Greens), rapporteur of the text.

The Parliament also approves a ban, except for safety reasons, on routine flaring, a common practice of burning gas out of a well or mine for logistical or economic reasons, which releases huge amounts of methane into the atmosphere.

And contrary to the Commission’s plan, MEPs called for the new rules to apply to fossil fuels imported into the EU from 2026 onwards: importers of gas, coal and oil would be required to check that European standards for detecting and repairing leaks have been met during extraction.

“Europe imports more than 80% of the fossil fuels it burns, it is essential to extend the scope to energy imports,” insisted Ms. Paulus, calling for “fair market rules for everyone.” Other European texts under discussion aim to restrict emissions in agriculture and industry.

According to the 2025 report on global energy access, despite notable progress in renewable energy, insufficient targeted financing continues to hinder electricity and clean cooking access, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
While advanced economies maintain global energy leadership, China and the United States have significantly progressed in the security and sustainability of their energy systems, according to the World Economic Forum's annual report.
On the sidelines of the US–Africa summit in Luanda, Algiers and Luanda consolidate their energy collaboration to better exploit their oil, gas, and mining potential, targeting a common strategy in regional and international markets.
The UK's Climate Change Committee is urging the government to quickly reduce electricity costs to facilitate the adoption of heat pumps and electric vehicles, judged too slow to achieve the set climate targets.
The European Commission will extend until the end of 2030 an expanded state-aid framework, allowing capitals to fund low-carbon technologies and nuclear power to preserve competitiveness against China and the United States.
Japan's grid operator forecasts an energy shortfall of up to 89 GW by 2050 due to rising demand from semiconductor manufacturing, electric vehicles, and artificial intelligence technologies.
Energy-intensive European industries will be eligible for temporary state aid to mitigate high electricity prices, according to a new regulatory framework proposed by the European Commission under the "Clean Industrial Deal."
Mauritius seeks international investors to swiftly build a floating power plant of around 100 MW, aiming to secure the national energy supply by January 2026 and address current production shortfalls.
Madrid announces immediate energy storage measures while Lisbon secures its electrical grid, responding to the historic outage that affected the entire Iberian Peninsula in late April.
Indonesia has unveiled its new national energy plan, projecting an increase of 69.5 GW in electricity capacity over ten years, largely funded by independent producers, to address rapidly rising domestic demand.
French Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher condemns the parliamentary moratorium on new renewable energy installations, warning of the potential loss of 150,000 industrial jobs and increased energy dependence on foreign countries.
The European battery regulation, fully effective from August 18, significantly alters industrial requirements related to electric cars and bicycles, imposing strict rules on recycling, supply chains, and transparency for companies.
The European Parliament calls on the Commission to strengthen energy infrastructure and accelerate the implementation of the Clean Industrial Deal to enhance the continent's energy flexibility and security amid increased market volatility.
The European Commission unveils an ambitious plan to modernize electricity grids and introduces the Clean Industrial Deal, mobilizing hundreds of billions of euros to strengthen the continent's industrial and energy autonomy.
In the United States, regulated electric grid operators hold a decisive advantage in connecting new data centres to the grid, now representing 134 GW of projects, according to a Wood Mackenzie report published on June 19.
The French National Assembly approves a specific target of 200 TWh renewable electricity production by 2030 within a legislative text extensively debated about the future national energy mix.
In 2024, US CO₂ emissions remain stable at 5.1bn tonnes, as the Trump administration prepares hydrocarbon-friendly energy policies, raising questions about the future evolution of the American market.
The early publication of France's energy decree triggers strong parliamentary reactions, as the government aims to rapidly secure investments in nuclear and other energy sectors.
Seven weeks after the major Iberian power outage, Spain identifies technical network failures, while the European Investment Bank approves major funding to strengthen the interconnection with France.
The European Union has announced a detailed schedule aiming to definitively halt Russian gas imports by the end of 2027, anticipating internal legal and commercial challenges to overcome.