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 (NO_x). 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.