Exxon Mobil said on April 26 that approximately 200 million cubic feet per day of natural gas produced from its Permian Basin facilities at Poker Lake, New Mexico have been independently certified and received the top grade for methane emissions management.

The certification from MiQ helps the company meet customer demand for energy produced with fewer emissions, making Exxon the first company to achieve certification for natural gas production associated with 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 & 2 greenhouse emissions in our Permian Basin unconventional operations by 2030,” Tom Schuessler, senior vice president of unconventional at Exxon Mobil, said in a statement.

“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," he added.

MiQ awarded the “A” grade certification because of Exxon Mobil’s extensive multi-tiered technology approach to methane monitoring and mitigation at its Poker Lake facilities in New Mexico. These efforts include a combination of fixed monitoring systems, aerial imaging technology, optical gas imaging cameras, proprietary acoustic sensors, and robust leak detection and repair practices. Responsible Energy Solutions performed Exxon Mobil’s assessment using the MiQ Standard.

“It’s widely accepted that it’s now the time to take steps to limit the effects of climate change and reducing methane emissions is one of the most significant actions we can take,” said Georges Tijbosch, CEO of MiQ. 

Exxon Mobil is expanding the certification process to other operating areas, including Appalachia natural gas operations in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It is now selling commercial volumes to customers, including Xcel Energy, which plans to use the natural gas to power homes, schools and businesses in southeastern New Mexico with 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. “Fueling 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.”

Mitigating methane emissions is an important component of ExxonMobil’s plans to achieve net zero Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas emissions in the Permian Basin unconventional assets by 2030, according to the company. Other parts of the plan include electrifying operations using renewable and lower-carbon power sources, eliminating routine flaring by year-end 2022, upgrading equipment and enhancing processes.

Similar GHG emission-reduction road maps are being developed for the company’s major operated upstream, refining and chemicals assets around the world. ExxonMobil has announced an ambition to achieve net zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions for its major operated assets by 2050, as detailed in the 2022 Advancing Climate Solutions Progress Report.

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