The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) and the nonprofit Carbon Mapper today announced a new collaboration aimed at accelerating practical and measurable reductions in methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.
The collaboration combines Carbon Mapper’s publicly available satellite-based methane data, expertise, and strategic insights with OGCI’s industry-led, peer-to-peer engagement model to help operators identify, prioritize and mitigate emissions more quickly and effectively.
Reducing emissions of methane – a potent but short-lived climate warming greenhouse gas – is one of the fastest and most effective ways to slow climate change. This collaboration advances OGCI and Carbon Mapper’s shared missions to equip operators across the global oil and gas industry with the knowledge and tools needed to rapidly reduce large methane emissions.
Bjørn Otto Sverdrup, OGCI Executive Committee Chair said:
“Reducing methane emissions at scale requires data and action. Partnering with Carbon Mapper allows OGCI to enable local operators to turn satellite insights into measurable emissions reductions while sharing best practices across the industry – further extending OGCI’s leadership and impact on methane emissions in the oil and gas industry.”
Riley Duren, Carbon Mapper CEO said:
“Carbon Mapper has previously conducted pilot projects with oil and gas operators in select regions to inform decision making and drive emissions reductions. Our collaboration with OGCI will help expand and accelerate methane mitigation actions globally, taking this critical work to new heights. These efforts will reduce waste, improve air quality for communities and workers, and help stabilize our climate.”
By working together, OGCI and Carbon Mapper aim to demonstrate how providing industry with publicly accessible, granular data and growing their capacity to use it effectively can deliver tangible methane reductions, support credible reporting and build momentum toward the widespread adoption of best practices.
Through this collaboration Carbon Mapper will provide public methane data derived from Planet’s Tanager-1 satellite observations over selected geographies, and other insights about the sector’s emissions based on observational data.
OGCI will use its established peer-to-peer engagement model, deployed successfully during its Satellite Monitoring Campaign (SMC), to work with local operators to enable rapid investigation and mitigation. Together, both organizations will help grow operator capacity to translate emissions data into effective methane management strategies.
The approach is designed to support operators in strengthening leak detection and repair programs, improving operational practices, reducing waste, and embedding satellite data into long-term methane management strategies.
Since 2021, OGCI’s Satellite Monitoring Campaign has provided local operators in countries – including Iraq, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Egypt – with satellite emissions data, along with technical support and resources to strengthen local detection, verification and mitigation capabilities.
The collaboration will also lead to joint analysis and insights, amplification of mitigation efforts, and complements existing international methane initiatives.
It builds on OGCI’s commitment to support effective methane mitigation as a critical pillar of its broader ambition to reach net zero operations consistent with the Paris Agreement timeframe.
Over the past decade, OGCI’s 12 member companies have made progress reducing methane emissions from operated assets to meet their ambition of near zero methane emissions by 2030. Since 2017, OGCI’s members have reduced their aggregate upstream operated methane emissions by 63% and cut routine flaring by 72% since 2018.
OGCI and its members are sharing what they are learning about detection, measurement and abatement across the industry through the Oil & Gas Decarbonization Charter and other initiatives.
