Total, partner to the initiative since 2014, has joined the second phase of the Oil & Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP 2.0) of the United Nations Environment Programme, which brings together industrial companies, governments and NGOs to better monitor and report methane emissions to reduce them
The objective of this second phase of the partnership is to define a broader and more ambitious methane reporting framework, extended to the entire gas value chain and to non-operated assets.
“As one of the world leaders in the natural gas value chain, Total is committed to reducing methane emissions to ensure that natural gas continues to play its key role in the energy transition; this new partnership will foster the sharing of industry best practices, especially on non-operated assets, and improve monitoring,” said Patrick Pouyanné, chairman and CEO of Total.
“Our performance is amongst the industry’s best as we have already cut methane emissions by 45% since 2010. And in order to progress further on monitoring, Total invests in cutting-edge R&D programs to support the development of future detection and measurement technologies.”
Total methane emissions were 68 kilotonnes in 2019, representing an emission intensity of approximately 0.2% of commercial gas produced at upstream oil and gas facilities. The objective of the group is to reduce this intensity below 0.2% and in particular, to further reduce gas assets to below 0.1% of commercial gas produced.
In order to control these emissions, Total addresses the various sources of methane – mainly flaring, venting and fugitive emissions – and follows strict design standards to ensure near-zero-emissions for its new projects.
Total is committed to zero routine flaring by 2030 and has reduced this type of flaring by 80% since 2010. The group has an extensive research programme to develop emission measurement technologies – with fixed cameras, drones or satellites – and has set up a dedicated testing site for such technologies in the south of France (TADI – Total Anomaly Detection Initiatives).
Total is a member of numerous industry associations and regularly reviews its positions on climate, in particular methane, in order to promote the axes of progress to which it is committed. The group also takes a position on public policy where relevant, as it did in 2019 when it publicly opposed the rollback of methane regulations in the US.
