sharing data is benefiting emission reduction efforts

Collaboration within the energy sector is helping reduce methane emissions, says Chevron’s manager of methane reduction.

Vanessa Ryan said during a recent Bloomberg panel that sharing data is proving beneficial to advancing lower carbon goals.

She detailed how a 2021 Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) satellite detection pilot program in Iraq led to all detected emissions being mitigated.

“That was very exciting and has given us the confidence for OGCI to expand this program,” said Ryan, who is also the gas workstream lead for the OGCI.

In December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a final rule and its expectation that the rules will reduce oil- and gas-related methane emissions by approximately 58 million tons from 2024 to 2038.

The Bloomberg panel discussed how organizations could be part of the solution through data sharing. The faster companies can share data, the faster they can act to mitigate any issues.

In regions like the Permian Basin, Chevron sees an opportunity to show leadership, Ryan said.

“I’ve seen some really exciting things in the space,” she said.

Chevron is working to make it easier to join forces on methane detection, whether by airplanes or sensors. It is doing so, in part, through:

• Participation in The Environmental Partnership, an organization focused on improving the industry’s environmental performance.
• Joint flyovers in the region to introduce this technology to smaller operators and workshops for companies to exchange information.
• Participation in Project Astra, which is focused on near-continuous sensor monitoring.