GTI to unveil new protocols for measuring emissions

A pumping station owned by Tallgrass Energy is pictured in Guernsey, Wyoming, U.S. on January 2017. Photos: Reuters.

The Gas Technology Institute recently launched Veritas, a gas measurement and verification initiative designed to reduce methane leaks from natural gas systems. The effort will bring together scientists, academics, environmental organizations, certification organizations and industrial participants to demonstrates emissions reductions in a constant, credible and transparent way, the organization said.

The initiative will develop accurate and verifiable methane emissions intensities and protocols to calculate measurement emissions.

“Looking out to mid-century, we anticipate continued robust demand for low-carbon gases. We also see lowering methane emissions as imperative for enabling the vital role that natural gas will serve in low-carbon energy systems,” said Paula Gant, SVP for Strategy & Innovation at GTI. “GTI and our partners are committed to accelerating actions that reduce methane leakages from every segment of natural gas systems.”

The initiative is designed to establish transparent standards that all stakeholders can rely upon and to boost confidence that those standards will reduce methane emissions, she said.

“We are developing protocols and methodologies that best-in-class companies can use to demonstrate methane emissions reductions. Market participants and observers desire a consistent approach to measuring and verifying emissions, and this initiative will enable credible, consistent methodology throughout the natural gas supply chain,” said Margaret Coleman, Veritas executive director and Director for Data & Digitalization at GTI.

Reducing methane emissions is an opportunity to slow the rate of global warming, and many gas and compression companies and organizations are hard at work on this opportunity, the GTI said.

An array of new technologies and solutions are increasingly available, but the market lacks a consistent, credible, verifiable, and transparent methodology for assessing the effectiveness of those technologies and practices in reducing methane emissions.

Veritas convenes diverse stakeholders to develop technical protocols and a widely accepted methodology to quantify methane emissions. The organization has developed protocols for methane intensity, measurement, reconciliation, supply chain summation and audit and assurance.

 The methane intensity protocol will define methane intensities for each setment of the natural gas supply chain. The methane intensity protocol will define methane intensities. The measurement protocol is designed to take measurements to inform emissions inventories by segment. The process is expected to take about 18 months to complete all protocols, she said.

The supply chain summation protocol is designed to sum up multiple segments for supply chain emissions intensity. Finally, an audit and assurance protocol is intended to provide guidance for verifying an emissions inventory and third-party auditing.

The initiative’s sponsors, leaders, and supporters include Devon Energy, EQT Corporation, Ernst & Young LLP (EY US), Jonah Energy LLC, ONE Future, RMI, Sempra Energy, Southern Company, and Williams. Stakeholders ranging from eNGOs to leading energy companies bring a diversity of perspectives that, along with an open process, will result in a useful set of tools that can be widely used for applications, including certification standards, regulatory reporting, buyer transparency, and investor transparency.

GTI is a research, development, training, and professional services organization at the forefront of clean energy innovation, addressing the urgent challenges of climate change. The organization embraces systems thinking and digital solutions to leverage clean gases, liquids, and infrastructure as the energy industry transitions to low-carbon, low-cost energy systems.