Williams is progressing on a multi-year program to incorporate new technology into its nationwide footprint through a large-scale Emissions Reduction Program (ERP) expected to reduce compressor station methane emissions by 50% by 2030.
“Our teams are well on their way to replacing 112 mainline compressor units by the end of this year with state-of-the-art emission turbines and electric drive units along our Transco and Northwest Pipeline systems,” Williams President and CEO Alan Armstrong said on call with Wall Street analysts after the company announced its first-quarter 2024 earnings.
Modernization efforts considerably reduce methane and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from compressor stations, while also improving equipment efficiency and reliability for customers.
The program replaces legacy compression equipment with a combination of modern, NOx-limiting natural gas-fired turbine compressors and electric motor drive compressors equipped with vent gas reduction systems.
The projects incorporate gas recovery technology to reduce vented methane, and the turbine compressors transport natural gas using combustion technologies that are lower emitting than required by current air quality regulations.
For example, in 2023, a natural gas fired compressor station located in Culpeper, Virginia, went under a major overhaul including the replacement of 14 reciprocating engines with two new low-emitting gas-fired turbines and gas recovery equipment, resulting in an estimated 98% reduction in potential to emit methane and NOx.