4 quick questions with Adolfo Contreras

Adolfo Contreras is the newest member of team SLB End-to-end Emissions Solutions (SEES), having joined in June as technical consultant. Known to many in the global methane community, Adolfo brings with him incredible technical experience and in-depth knowledge of the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0 framework. In his previous role at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), he coordinated the OGMP work groups that developed the technical guidance documents that describe how measurements, calculations, and simulations should be performed and reconciled to achieve the OGMP Gold Standard. The head of our consultancy team, Tim Okabayashi, caught up with Adolfo for four quick questions.

Tim Okabayashi: Adolfo, welcome to the team! You’re joining the methane team here at SLB from the UNEP, where you worked on the OGMP 2.0. What’s your mission in your new role?

Adolfo Contreras: My mission is to help the energy industry achieve its methane abatement goals, decarbonize its operations, and identify new business opportunities for its residual gas along the way. Together we’re building the tools our partners need to do this. My specific role on the team is to develop cost-optimized plans that allow our customers to comply with the OGMP guidelines I helped write at UNEP. 

TO: At the OGMP, you were at the forefront of global action on methane. What’s your take on current progress?

AC: I am firmly convinced that the OGMP 2.0 initiative will become the industry standard in the near future. But establishing a common standard is only the first step. Helping people commit to it, use it, and stay on track is key. That’s why it is exciting to join the methane team at SLB to help energy companies adopt an OGMP 2.0 pathway and meet their mitigation goals.

TO: What would you say to operators to encourage them to join the OGMP 2.0 and commit to a pathway?

AC: Climate change is a global threat. One of the faster options to decelerate the process is reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. Today, most emission mitigation options already have economically positive impacts on companies. Acting voluntarily in advance of more restrictive global regulations unlocks these benefits early, as well as having a positive impact on employees and on the communities where the companies operate.

TO: And what role can we, at SLB, play in helping operators find their pathway and stay on it?

AC: We can (and do) provide customers with a portfolio of services to cover the whole methane mitigation value chain. It starts with helping companies understand their current emission profile, develop their mitigation targets, and deploy emission measurement campaigns. And it goes on to helping them in their emission reconciliation process and their company methane abatement plans. This can include the analysis of methane emissions abatement and its links to carbon market offsets. This last point is only possible if companies verify their annual emissions based on measurements.

TO: Adolfo, thank you for your time. It’s great to have you on board!

Find out more about the methane team.