Development of Tier 2 Fugitive Emission Factors for Malaysia's Oil and Gas Systems

Authors

• Nabila Farhana Jamaludin, Centre for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Social Innovation (SEESI), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Perak, MalaysiaFollow
• Syaza Izyanni Ahmad, Centre for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Social Innovation (SEESI), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Perak, Malaysia
• Siti Indati Mustapa, UNITEN Business School, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Putrajaya Campus, Kajang, Selangor
• Nor Amirah Safiah Muhamad, Centre for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Social Innovation (SEESI), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Perak, Malaysia
• Nur Syahalisah Nurdin, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Perak, Malaysia
• Nurul Aishah Nabila Azhar, Centre for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Social Innovation (SEESI), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Perak, Malaysia
• Halimatun Syafiqah Mohd Radzi, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Perak, Malaysia
• Syarifah Mardhiah Syed Salim, UNITEN Business School, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Putrajaya Campus, Kajang, Selangor

Keywords

Greenhouse gas quantification, Tier 2 methodology, fugitive hydrocarbon emissions, venting and flaring processes, national emissions inventory, energy sector reporting, oil and natural gas systems

Document Type

Research Article

Abstract

Accurate estimation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from oil and gas (O&G) systems is essential for strengthening Malaysia’s national greenhouse gas inventory and supporting its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. Current inventory estimates rely predominantly on Tier 1 default emission factors, which may not adequately represent country-specific operating conditions and gas characteristics. This study develops Tier 2 country-specific emission factors (CSEF) for venting, flaring, and all other fugitive emissions across Malaysia’s O&G systems. Emission factors were derived from gas composition based on operational data collected over five years from major O&G assets, representing over 80% of fugitive emissions in Malaysia. The results demonstrate clear variation in Tier 2 CSEF reflecting differences in operating practices and gas composition across the value chain. For the oil system, venting emission factors are 1.37 and 1.24 × 10– ¹ Gg/10⁶ m³ for CO2and CH4, while flaring emission factors are 2.08 and 8.85 × 10–3 Gg/10⁶ m³ for CO2 and CH4. For the gas system, the venting emission factors are 8.87 × 10–2 and 5.66 × 10– ¹ Gg/10⁶ m³ for CO2 and CH4, while flaring emission factors are 2.13 and 9.28 × 10–3 Gg/10⁶ m³ for CO2 and CH4. Emission factors for all other fugitive emissions provide representative values across all segments reflecting the application of measurement-based, component-level data. The emission factor findings are further supported by lower uncertainty ranges of ±30% and ±15% for the oil and gas systems, respectively. Overall, the findings show that Tier 2 CSEF derived from nationally representative operational data provides a more accurate and representative basis for estimating emissions from Malaysia’s O&G systems compared to Tier 1 IPCC default values. This study demonstrates the feasibility of developing Tier 2 CSEF and supports improved accuracy and consistency in Malaysia’s national GHG inventory reporting for the O&G sector

html

Recommended Citation

Jamaludin, Nabila Farhana; Ahmad, Syaza Izyanni; Mustapa, Siti Indati; Muhamad, Nor Amirah Safiah; Nurdin, Nur Syahalisah; Azhar, Nurul Aishah Nabila; Mohd Radzi, Halimatun Syafiqah; and Syed Salim, Syarifah Mardhiah (2026) "Development of Tier 2 Fugitive Emission Factors for Malaysia's Oil and Gas Systems," Platform: A Journal of Engineering (PAJE): Vol. 10: Iss. 2, Article 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61762/pajevol10iss2art001
Available at: https://journal.utp.edu.my/paje/vol10/iss2/1

Publication Date

30-6-2026

First Page

1

Last Page

11