Williams, a leading energy infrastructure company in the United States, has announced its membership in the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0) to enhance methane emissions reporting and reduction in the energy industry. The company's participation in OGMP 2.0 aligns with its next-generation natural gas strategy, focusing on technology investments and providing path-specific methane intensity certifications to utilities, LNG export facilities, and other clean energy.
OGMP 2.0 is UNEP's flagship oil and gas reporting and mitigation program, serving as the only comprehensive, measurement-based international reporting framework for the sector. With nearly 100 member companies from over 60 countries, OGMP 2.0 represents more than 35% of global oil and gas production. Member companies aim to report methane emissions according to the highest established standards while setting industry-leading methane reduction targets.
“Williams is committed to achieving the most stringent methane performance standards as prescribed by OGMP 2.0, thus setting the pace for the midstream sector in the United States,” said Alan Armstrong, Williams President and CEO. “We handle one-third of U.S. natural gas, giving us unique visibility to how gas molecules are produced, processed, transported, and used. By leveraging new technology across our nationwide infrastructure footprint, we are confident we can enhance the trust and transparency needed to grow a differentiated low-emissions gas market and provide clean, reliable gas supplies to domestic and international buyers focused on a low-carbon future.”
Williams' NextGen Gas program is an initiative that aims to monitor and measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the natural gas value chain, including the company's own operations and customers. The program employs a range of advanced technologies, such as satellites, flyovers, and multiple sensing devices, as well as real-time internal operational data that meets OGMP 2.0 protocols.
Recently, Williams has made strategic investments in two cutting-edge emissions monitoring companies, Orbital Sidekick and LongPath Technologies, to enhance its monitoring capabilities. The data collected from these technologies, along with other measurement data, will be synthesized by Context Labs' Decarbonization as a Service (DasS) platform. This will allow Williams to provide verified emissions profiles and track progress toward GHG reductions for both the company and its customers. Overall, Williams' NextGen Gas program represents a comprehensive approach to GHG monitoring and reduction that leverages the latest technological advancements in emissions monitoring.
This announcement is in line with Williams' commitment to reducing methane emissions across the natural gas value chain. Williams is already an active member of ONE Future, a voluntary association of natural gas companies aiming to decrease methane emissions to less than 1%.
Additionally, the company is part of the Energy Emissions Modelling and Data Lab (EEMDL) collaborative initiative. EEMDL's goal is to provide accurate and reliable greenhouse gas emissions assessments of oil and gas supply chains. The initiative is a collaboration between the University of Texas at Austin, Colorado State University, and the Colorado School of Mines.