ExxonMobil Corporation says that approximately 200 million cubic feet per day of natural gas produced from its Permian Basin facilities at Poker Lake, New Mexico have been independently certified and received the top grade for methane emissions management. The certification from MiQ helps the company meet customer demand for energy produced with fewer emissions.
MiQ awarded the “A” grade certification because of ExxonMobil’s extensive multi-tiered technology approach to methane monitoring and mitigation. These efforts include a combination of fixed monitoring systems, aerial imaging technology, optical gas imaging cameras, proprietary acoustic sensors, and robust leak detection and repair practices. Responsible Energy Solutions performed ExxonMobil’s assessment using the MiQ Standard.
Significantly, ExxonMobil is the first company to achieve certification for natural gas production associated with oil.
“It’s widely accepted that it’s now the time to take steps to limit the effects of climate change and reducing methane emissions is one of the most significant actions we can take,” said Georges Tijbosch, CEO of MiQ. “MiQ is pioneering Independently Certified Gas to help accelerate methane reductions from the natural gas industry and, as one of the world’s largest energy companies, ExxonMobil’s expansion of the certification program demonstrates that Independently Certified Gas is rapidly becoming the status quo.”
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The company has since disclosed that it believes the certification further validates the steps it has taken to reduce methane emissions, which is part of its plans to achieve net-zero Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse emissions in the Permian Basin unconventional operations by 2030. It said too that the certification gives customers confidence that it is responsibly producing natural gas with best-in-class emission management programs to help them meet their emissions goals.
ExxonMobil was keen to note that it has played a leadership role in methane mitigation and supports strong measurement, reporting and verification standards as part of a broad suite of regulations to help reduce methane emissions. The American multinational is in fact a founding member of the Methane Guiding Principles, and in 2020 introduced a model regulatory framework for industry-wide methane regulations. ExxonMobil also supports the U.S. and European Union’s Global Methane Pledge, the proposed U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan and the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative’s Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions.
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OilNOW understands that the mitigation of methane emissions has always been an important component of ExxonMobil’s plans to achieve net-zero Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas emissions in the Permian Basin unconventional assets by 2030. Other parts of the plan include electrifying operations using renewable and lower-carbon power sources, eliminating routine flaring by year-end 2022, upgrading equipment and enhancing processes.
Similar GHG emission-reduction road maps are being developed for the company’s major operated upstream, refining and chemicals assets around the world.
Additionally, ExxonMobil has announced an ambition to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions for its major operated assets by 2050, as detailed in its 2022 Advancing Climate Solutions Progress Report.
The company is also pursuing a gas-to-energy project in Guyana where it intends to plug US$1.3B for pipeline and subsea infrastructure while applying the latest technology and systems for control. The project is now subjected to a rigid evaluation process by the country’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
