Majors Team Up for New Research Project

GHGSat has revealed that Chevron, Shell and TotalEnergies  are supporting a new research project to assess the feasibility of its high-resolution, space-based, methane monitoring technology to measure emissions from offshore oil and gas platforms.

The 12 month project is expected to achieve a world first in demonstrating high-resolution satellite-based monitoring of anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions at sea, according to GHGSat, which highlighted that it is testing a technique developed by NASA.

As part of the research project, each of the companies will have six of their offshore facilities observed at locations around the world, such as the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. An initial feasibility assessment will begin later this year with satellite readings being checked against measurements taken on-board the platforms by hand-held devices and drones, GHGSat noted.

“This is a GHGSat research project but one driven by customer demand,” Stephane Germain, the chief executive officer (CEO) of GHGSat, said in a company statement.

“Offshore producers are looking for ways to confirm their reported emissions. With this new research, we hope to show that space can provide the data they need, in a timely, reliable, and cost-effective way,” Mr Germain added in the statement.

“Measuring offshore emissions properly is important: we need to improve the accuracy of the global methane stock take, replacing estimates with precise data. As methane is 30 times more potent than C02 as a greenhouse gas, over 100 years, reducing CH4 emissions is one of the most effective near-term climate change actions,” the GHGSat CEO went on to say.

GHGSat highlighted that nearly 30 percent of global oil and gas production takes place offshore. The company is the global leader in high-resolution remote-sensing of greenhouse gas from space, according to its website, which notes that it pioneered this approach.

Source: Rigzone