Schlumberger recently joined the Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions Initiative to support energy companies’ efforts to curb the warming impact of their operational methane emissions.

The project, developed by the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), includes two tiers of participants: signatories and supporters.

Signatories include producers, refiners and marketers of oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels, excluding coal. Participating companies commit to achieving near-zero methane emissions from their operations by 2030. As part of the commitment, the companies agree to pursue all reasonable means to avoid methane venting and flaring, and to repair detected leaks, while preserving the safety of people and the integrity of operations.

Supporters include the energy service and technology companies that can help producers, refiners and marketers meet their methane reduction goals. As an Aiming for Zero supporter, Schlumberger will work closely with the initiative’s signatories to provide consultative expertise and technology solutions for detection and abatement and to help address the challenges of a dynamic regulatory reporting environment.

“By joining the initiative, Schlumberger’s management sends a strong statement that they share the ambition to eliminate methane leaks from the oil and gas industry,” said Bjørn Otto Sverdrup, chairman of OGCI’s executive committee.

According to information from OGCI, The Aiming for Zero initiative is meant as a supplement to other multistakeholder initiatives, such as the Methane Guiding Principles, the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 and the Global Methane Alliance, and does not aim to duplicate their work. The initiative was launched in March of this year.

The industry’s focus on methane

Over the past several years, scientists and policymakers have put a heavy focus on methane due to its greenhouse gas (GHG) potency. When compared to CO2 emissions, methane has 84 times the warming power in the first 20 years after emissions enter the atmosphere. To put this impact into further context, 0.5 C of the 1.1 C that the planet has already warmed is directly attributable to methane.

Today, the oil and gas industry is one of the largest sources of methane emissions at about 80 million tons per year. “Those emissions will have the same climate impact as the annual CO2 emissions from almost all the cars in world,” said Kahina Abdeli-Galinier, Schlumberger’s emissions business director.

Abdeli-Galinier leads Schlumberger End-to-end Emissions Solutions (SEES)—a dedicated business for eliminating emissions from methane and routine flare. Launched at the beginning of the year, SEES helps Schlumberger’s customers identify and quantify the source of their methane emissions and deploy the best-matched emissions reduction strategy for their operations.

“The SEES business brings a science-based and operational approach to methane emissions management,” said Abdeli-Galinier. “After we perform a baseline measurement and identify the root cause of the emissions, we take actions to abate the emissions and track methane emissions reduction over time through continuous monitoring.”

The emissions data that’s collected can then be fed into a digital platform that integrates with other data from across the company’s operations. This yields valuable insights, which Abdeli-Galinier says can help operators build the most cost effective and efficient strategies for emissions reduction and reporting goals.

A fixable problem

When it comes to both the detection and abatement of methane emissions, much of the technology already exists. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates the industry can reduce its methane emissions by 70% by 2030 using today’s technologies. On top of this, industry experts estimate that around 40% of these emissions can be avoided at no net cost, as the cost of abatement is less than the typical market value of the captured gas.

Abdeli-Galinier says Schlumberger can offer a wide range of measurement and abatement solutions from its portfolio and a broad partner network of technology providers, for everything from handheld detectors and low emissions valves to satellites, continuous monitors and instrument air systems. The company also has a significant global scale to deploy these solutions, with a reach extending across 120 countries.

“Schlumberger has strong partnerships and works with many oil, gas and energy companies, so they will be able to make a very important contribution in reducing emissions more quickly,” said Sverdrup.

“Eliminating methane emissions and routine flaring is our chance to show the world that our industry is serious about addressing the climate crisis,” Abdeli-Galinier said. “As a supporter of the Aiming for Zero initiative, we make a very clear statement to signatory participants that we are aligned with their goals, and we have the expertise and capabilities to help them get to zero methane emissions by 2030 or sooner.”

To learn more about SEES, visit www.slb.com/SEES.