Crafting the Data Frameworks for Reducing Methane Emissions

Reducing methane emissions is imperative for enabling the vital role that natural gas can serve in low-carbon energy systems. GTI Energy is committed to accelerating actions that reduce methane leakages from natural gas systems. To that end, today we launched Veritas: a GTI Energy Methane Emissions Measurement & Verification Initiative. With a diverse group of partners, we will develop a measurement-informed and transparently developed methane intensity standard that all stakeholders can rely upon — which we think will channel more energy into accelerating mitigation actions that are most effective.

As companies and governments around the world prioritize decarbonization of energy systems, reducing methane leakages has emerged as a core component of net-zero decarbonization plans. An array of new technologies and solutions are increasingly available, but the market lacks a consistent, credible, verifiable, and transparent methodology for assessing the effectiveness of those technologies and practices in reducing methane emissions. And we lack a widely accepted standard for measuring and verifying methane emissions intensities for natural gas systems.

Leading organizations who share a vision for maximizing the climate benefits of natural gas by minimizing methane leakages have signed on as Foundational Sponsors of the work, including Devon Energy, EQT Corporation, Ernst & Young LLP (EY US), Jonah Energy LLC, ONE Future, RMI, Sempra Energy, Southern Company, and Williams.

In community with many others, we will build on foundational work already undertaken and take another important next step toward validation of methane emissions data. Collaborating with a diverse group of stakeholders — including leading scientists, environmental advocates, investors, and industry — Veritas will develop accurate and verified methane emissions intensities along with the necessary protocols to calculate measurement-informed methane emissions for natural gas systems — ultimately accelerating actions that will reduce methane emissions into the atmosphere.

Ensuring transparency is paramount to success here, so Veritas’ technical processes will incorporate input from a spectrum of stakeholders and observers. Our experts have already started developing:

· A publicly available, transparently drafted set of technical protocols for each supply chain segment; and

· A widely accepted methodology that is applicable in numerous applications for a variety of stakeholders, such as: gas certification schemes, labeling of LNG cargoes, buyer transparency and reporting, regulatory reporting and compliance, legislative and regulatory frameworks, market development, and investor transparency.

Reducing methane emissions is a this-decade opportunity to slow the rate of global warming, and leading companies and organizations are hard at work on this opportunity. With plans to deliver and demonstrate the measurement and reconciliation protocols by the end of 2022, Veritas intends to provide a strong, flexible, widely applicable methodology for equating methods of methane measurement and quantification that can enhance the effectiveness of those efforts — accelerating progress toward our shared goal of reducing harmful emissions while we deliver the energy needed for humans the world over to prosper.

Motivated by that mission? Come join us.

To learn more about Veritas, visit http://www.gti.energy/Veritas or read the news release here.

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