SUMMARY

It is the only US company to achieve the rating.

By Gas Pathways

Denver-based gas company Jonah Energy announced on November 16 it had achieved the Gold Standard by the UN-backed Oil & Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) for its methane reporting plan.

Jonah secured the rating under the OGMP 2.0 initiative. Not only is it the smallest upstream member of OGMP 2.0, but the company is also the only US-based player to get the gold standard rating.

"Jonah Energy is leading the way and has turned in one of the most comprehensive first-year submissions, progressing far ahead on the Gold Standard pathway," Manfredi Caltagirone of the UN Environmental Programme, said in a statement.

Jonah reported 85% of all emission sources from its operated assets using measurement and detailed engineering calculations rather than generic emissions factors, the company said. It has also set an independently verified methane intensity target, after cutting its intensity by 68% over the past three years.

"We signed on to OGMP 2.0 because it is the leading independent, verifiable and measured performance standard, and it creates the credibility and transparency necessary for natural gas to achieve its full potential and take its rightful place in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the global energy value chain," Jonah CEO Tom Hart said in a statement.

Established in 2014, Jonah operates a field of the same name in Wyoming that was hailed as one of the largest onshore gas discoveries in the early 1990s. Today its production averages 500mn ft3/day, Jonah says on its website.

This article first appeared in Gas Pathways, a platform dedicated to technology and innovation in the natural gas industry. Click here for more information.