Williams recently became the first large-scale midstream company in the United States to join a global initiative designed to improve the energy industry’s methane emissions reporting and to encourage progress in reducing those emissions.
The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0) consists of nearly 100 companies with operations in more than 60 countries. They represent more than 35 per cent of global oil and gas production. OGMP 2.0 member companies strive to report methane emissions in accordance with what are widely recognized as the highest established standards while setting industry-leading methane reduction targets.
“We are glad to welcome Williams as part of our global initiative, which incentivizes member companies to reduce methane emissions and allocate capital efficiently,” said Giulia Ferrini, OGMP 2.0 Project Manager, UNEP. “We look forward to Williams’ contribution as OGMP 2.0 is more than a rigorous reporting framework: it is a unique platform for collective action and peer learning among our members, who jointly develop new industry norms on methane management.”
OGMP 2.0 is UNEP’s flagship oil and gas reporting and mitigation program. It is the only comprehensive, measurement-based international reporting framework for the sector. Participation supports Williams’ full-value chain NextGen Gas program to provide path-specific methane intensity certifications to utilities, LNG export facilities and other clean energy users.
Williams’ NextGen Gas program provides verified emissions profiles and captures the progress from greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions across the natural gas value chain – from customers and its own operations – using monitoring and measurement technologies including satellites, flyovers and multiple sensing devices, as well as real-time internal operational data that is designed to meet the OGMP 2.0 protocols.
As part of this program, Williams recently invested in Orbital Sidekick, a satellite-based emissions monitoring company and LongPath Technologies, a provider of laser-based continuous emissions monitoring and quantification technology. Data from these technologies will be aggregated with other forms of measurement data and synthesized by Context Labs’ Decarbonization as a Service (DasS) platform to provide verified emissions profiles and capture the progress from reductions across the natural gas value chain for Williams and its customers.
“Williams is committed to achieving the most stringent methane performance standards as prescribed by OGMP 2.0, thus setting the pace for the midstream sector in the United States,” said Alan Armstrong, Williams President and CEO. “We handle one third of U.S. natural gas, giving us unique visibility to how gas molecules are produced, processed, transported and used. By leveraging new technology across our nationwide infrastructure footprint, we are confident we can enhance the trust and transparency needed to grow a differentiated low-emissions gas market and provide clean, reliable gas supplies to domestic and international buyers focused on a low-carbon future.”