According to a new report released on February 8, 2022, by the American Gas Association (AGA), natural gas will be essential for meeting the U.S.’s net-zero emissions goals.[1] The report, called Net-Zero Emissions Opportunities for Gas Utilities, underscores the advantages of gas technologies and distribution infrastructure. It analyzed four pathways to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. All four pathways included expanded efficiency initiatives, a shift to renewable and low-carbon gas, reduced emissions from natural gas operations and pipelines, carbon offsets, and negative emissions technologies. According to the report, the number of natural gas customers will grow in all the scenarios.

The AGA’s report found that scenarios that include natural gas and existing utility delivery infrastructure offer opportunities to incorporate renewable and low-carbon gases, help minimize customer impacts, maintain high reliability, improve overall energy system resilience, and accelerate emissions reductions. It also found that the U.S. can achieve significant emissions reductions by accelerating the use of tools like high-efficiency natural gas applications, renewable gases, and methane reduction technologies. Further, supportive policies and regulatory approaches will be essential for gas utilities to achieve net-zero emissions. According to the AGA, the industry has already made great progress in reducing emissions: there has been a 69% reduction in methane emissions since 1990 and a 47% reduction in residential emissions per customer since 1971. Improvements in natural gas efficiency and the growth of renewable energy have led to carbon dioxide emissions from energy sources hitting 30-year lows.

[1] https://www.aga.org/globalassets/research--insights/reports/aga-net-zero-emissions-opportunities-for-gas-utilities.pdf