ExxonMobil earns top certification for Permian gas
SUMMARY
US major will now expand certification to the Appalachia basin.
By Dale LunanPOSTED IN:
US major ExxonMobil said April 26 it had earned an ‘A’ grade from natural gas certification agency MiQ for 200mn ft3/day of associated gas production from its Permian basin facilities at Poker Lake, New Mexico.
The ‘A’ grade was awarded after Responsible Energy Solutions assessed ExxonMobil’s operations and found an extensive, multi-tiered approach to methane monitoring and mitigation. Measures deployed included a combination of fixed monitoring systems, aerial imaging technology, optical gas imaging cameras, acoustic sensors and robust leak detection and repair practices.
The certification is the first granted to natural gas produced in association with crude oil.
“This certification further validates the steps we have taken to reduce methane emissions, which is part of our plans to achieve net zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse emissions in our Permian Basin unconventional operations by 2030,” said Tom Schuessler, senior vice president of unconventional at ExxonMobil. “Certification gives our customers confidence that we are responsibly producing natural gas with best-in-class emission management programs to help them meet their emissions goals.”
Commercial volumes of certified gas are now being sold to customers, including Xcel Energy, which plans to use the gas to power homes, schools and businesses in southeastern New Mexico, generating fewer lifecycle emissions than non-certified natural gas.
“Xcel Energy is committed to delivering net-zero energy by 2050 across all the ways our customers use energy, and that includes powering our generating fleet with natural gas purchased only from suppliers with certified low-methane emissions by 2030,” said David Hudson, president of Xcel Energy in New Mexico and Texas. “Fuelling our New Mexico power plants with ExxonMobil’s certified natural gas is an important step in that direction and enables us to achieve the cleaner energy future we’re all envisioning.”
With the successful certification of the Poker Lake production, ExxonMobil will now expand the process to other operating areas, including Appalachia gas operations in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
