Are your flare gas measurements ready for the new EU methane reporting standards?

Announcements | Wednesday, 12th November

Operators across Europe are under increasing pressure to verify their flare gas measurement data as the new EU Methane Regulation comes into force.

The legislation requires oil, gas, and coal operators to measure, monitor, report, and verify methane emissions to the highest available standards. This regulatory shift is reshaping environmental compliance expectations across the industry, and forcing a fundamental question:

Are your flare gas measurements ready for the new EU methane reporting standards?

Greenhouse gas emissions chart showing methane contribution to global emissions — *Methane accounts for roughly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.*

Regulatory context: tightening standards and growing scrutiny

The EU Methane Regulation is designed to reduce methane emissions within the EU and from imported energy sources.

Operators must now prove the accuracy of flare gas data with traceable, verifiable methods, the same level of scrutiny already applied to greenhouse gas reporting and taxation frameworks.

Conventional flare metering technologies face challenges under this new regime. Variations in gas composition, loss of ultrasonic signal during blowdowns, and uncertainty in density correction can all compromise data integrity. In the eyes of regulators, unverified totals equate to unreported emissions, a compliance risk operators can no longer afford.

The problem: compliance risk from uncertain flare measurement

Most existing flare gas metering systems were not built for continuous verification. During upset conditions or high-velocity events, gas composition can shift rapidly between hydrocarbon-rich and nitrogen-heavy flows. Standard ultrasonic meters frequently lose signal or drift from calibration, producing gaps in reporting. Maintenance downtime, fouling, or condensation on transducer faces further increase uncertainty.

The result is incomplete or questionable data, and under the EU’s new methane framework, this uncertainty directly impacts an operator’s environmental credibility and financial exposure.

The solution: verified accuracy with the Able FlareMaster FT

The Able FlareMaster FT Ultrasonic Flare Gas Metering System provides operators with a robust solution for flare gas measurement compliance. By combining an ultrasonic flare meter with the FlareMaster verification engine, the system maintains real-time measurement accuracy even through extreme process variations.

The FlareMaster FT applies dual-measurement technology, running an independent computational principle in parallel with the ultrasonic Time-of-Flight signal. This allows it to verify flow rate and composition accuracy within ±5%, giving operators documented confidence in their reported data. When a signal dropout occurs due to fouling, carry-over, or process surges, FlareMaster automatically repairs and validates the measurement in real time, maintaining a complete audit trail for environmental and taxation reporting.

FlareMaster FT signal verification graph — *FlareMaster’s verified signal (blue) maintains accuracy through process upsets where conventional meters (green) drift.*

At the heart of the technology lies Able’s N2GEN module, which resolves gas composition into methane, nitrogen, and other hydrocarbon groups using AGA10 and API traceable standards. This ensures accurate density and mass flow readings for taxation and emissions compliance purposes.

Methane and nitrogen molecule representation — *FlareMaster FT’s N2GEN module resolves nitrogen and methane components for precise density and mass flow.*

The system’s redundancy and auto-verification features mean it continues to operate reliably, even under challenging field conditions, delivering verified flare measurement that meets and exceeds EU compliance requirements.

Proven performance and engineering credibility

FlareMaster technology was validated through blind testing with a major oil company under the supervision of the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL TUV) and with interest from the UK Environment Agency (EA). These independent trials confirmed its accuracy and performance under real-world conditions.

Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Environment Agency logos — *Tested under the supervision of the National Engineering Laboratory and with interest from the UK Environment Agency.*

For over 40 years, Able Instruments & Controls Ltd has specialised in solving complex flow and emissions measurement challenges across oil, gas, refining, and petrochemical industries. As an independent, employee-owned company, Able combines technology expertise with a commitment to engineering integrity, providing trusted instrumentation and long-term support to operators across the UK, Ireland and the rest of the world.

FAQ: How does the Able FlareMaster FT help operators comply with the EU Methane Regulation?
The FlareMaster FT provides verified dual-measurement accuracy and real-time data validation, ensuring traceable and compliant flare reporting under the EU Methane Regulation.

Next steps: verify your compliance readiness

The EU Methane Regulation is already reshaping operational expectations for flare systems. Operators who take early action to assess their existing installations will be best placed to demonstrate compliance and avoid future retrofit costs.

The Able FlareMaster FT provides a proven, field-tested route to verified flare gas metering, reduced uncertainty, and regulatory confidence.

If you’d like to discuss your compliance readiness or schedule a flare metering consultation, please contact Able:

info@ableinstruments.com | +44 (0)1189 311 188