Emissions of methane (CH4) in the Permian basin (U.S.A.) have been derived for 2019 and 2020 from satellite observations of the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) using the divergence method, in combination with a data driven method to estimate the background concentrations. The resulting CH4 emission data, which have been verified using model with known emissions, have a spatial resolution of approximately 10 km. The spatial patterns of the emissions are in a good agreement with the locations of oil and gas production and drilling activities in the Permian basin, as well as with emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). Analysis of time-series of locations with large CH4 emissions indicated that there are significant continuous emissions in this region. The CH4 emissions can be characterized as a continuous area source, rather than as dominated by a few large unplanned releases. This is important considering possible CH4 emission mitigation strategies. In addition to providing spatially resolved emissions, the divergence method also provides the total emissions of the Permian basin and its main sub-basins. The total CH4 emission of the Permian is estimated as 3.0 ± 0.7 Tg yr-1 for 2019, which agrees with other independent estimates based on TROPOMI data. For the Delaware sub-basin, it is estimated as 1.4 ± 0.3 Tg yr-1 for 2019, and for the Midland sub-basin 1.2 ± 0.3 Tg yr-1. In 2020 the emissions are 8% lower compared to 2019, which could be a result of strong decreases in drilling activities due to the COVID-19 crisis.