In response to the preliminary findings from the Superpower Institute's new Open Methane platform, the Australian Conservation Foundation's methane campaigner Piper Rollins said:
"The initial results from the Open Methane platform show climate-heating methane emissions from Australia's coal and gas sector are being massively underestimated.
"Crucially, the findings suggest the coal and gas sectors could be emitting as much methane pollution as agriculture.
"While many farmers are taking steps to reduce emissions from their herds, coal and gas projects are derailing Australia's progress on cutting climate pollution.
"Methane is a potent, highly polluting gas that's turbocharging heatwaves, bushfires and other extreme weather events.
"When ACF was recently in Queensland's Surat Basin, filming with our methane-revealing optical gas imaging camera, nearly every single gas facility we could access was freely leaking methane, so it's no surprise to see Condamine among the top 20 methane hotspots.
"It's disgraceful that the Albanese government last month approved three coal mine extensions, two of which - Mount Pleasant in the Hunter Valley and Narrabri Underground - are showing up as major methane hotspots.
"The massive under-reporting of methane emissions means Australia's national emissions accounting is inaccurate and meeting our climate targets will be even harder.
"This is likely to be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to whole-of-life emissions from the coal and gas sectors.
"ACF calls on the Albanese government to make it mandatory for all existing coal and gas facilities to accurately measure and publicly report their emissions - and stop approving new and expanded coal and gas projects."
