ExxonMobil receives top certification for Permian Basin natural gas methane emissions management
Exxon Mobil
200 million cubic feet per day of ExxonMobil's Permian Basin natural gas at Poker Lake, New Mexico has been independently certified for methane emissions management. MiQ certification helps company meet customer demand for low-emissions energy. ExxonMobil is the first company to achieve natural gas-oil certification.
After reviewing methane emission management programmes, an independent certifier assigned a "A" grade.The certification process is being extended to other shale operations in the United States. Natural gas that has been independently certified helps meet customer demand for energy that emits less methane.
"This certification validates the steps we've taken to reduce methane emissions, which is part of our plans to achieve net zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse emissions in our Permian Basin unconventional operations by 2030,"
said Tom Schuessler, ExxonMobil's senior vice president of unconventional.
"Certification gives our customers confidence that we are producing natural gas responsibly and using best-in-class emission management programmes to help them meet their emissions targets."
ExxonMobil's extensive multi-tiered technology approach to methane monitoring and mitigation at its Poker Lake facilities in New Mexico earned MiQ a "A" grade certification. Fixed monitoring systems, aerial imaging technology, optical gas imaging cameras, proprietary acoustic sensors, and robust leak detection and repair practises are all part of these efforts. ExxonMobil's assessment was carried out by Responsible Energy Solutions using the MiQ Standard.
"It's widely acknowledged that the time has come to take action to limit the effects of climate change, and reducing methane emissions is one of the most significant actions we can take,"
said MiQ CEO Georges Tijbosch.
"MiQ is pioneering Independently Certified Gas to help accelerate methane reductions in the natural gas industry, and ExxonMobil's expansion of the certification programme demonstrates that Independently Certified Gas is rapidly becoming the norm."
ExxonMobil is broadening the certification process to include Appalachia natural gas operations in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It is now selling commercial quantities to customers such as Xcel Energy, who intends to use the natural gas to power homes, schools, and businesses in southeastern New Mexico while emitting fewer lifecycle emissions than non-certified natural gas.
"Xcel Energy is committed to delivering net-zero energy by 2050 across all ways our customers use energy,"
said David Hudson, president of Xcel Energy in New Mexico and Texas.
"This includes powering our generating fleet with natural gas purchased only from suppliers with certified low-methane emissions by 2030. Fueling our New Mexico power plants with ExxonMobil's certified natural gas is an important step toward achieving the cleaner energy future we all envision."
ExxonMobil has taken the lead in methane mitigation, and it supports strong measurement, reporting, and verification standards as part of a comprehensive set of regulations aimed at reducing methane emissions. ExxonMobil is a founding member of the Methane Guiding Principles and will launch a model regulatory framework for industry-wide methane regulations in 2020. ExxonMobil supports the United States' and European Union's Global Methane Pledge, as well as the proposed United States Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan and the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative's Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions.
Mitigating methane emissions is an important component of ExxonMobil's plans to achieve net zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions from unconventional assets in the Permian Basin by 2030. Other components of the plan include electrifying operations with renewable and lower-carbon energy sources, eliminating routine flaring by the end of 2022, upgrading equipment, and improving processes.
Similar road maps for reducing GHG emissions are being developed for the company's major operated upstream, refining, and chemicals assets around the world. ExxonMobil has stated a goal of achieving net zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions for its major operating assets by 2050, as detailed in the 2022 Advancing Climate Solutions Progress Report.
Source: ExxonMobil news
