The Quest for Operator Metrics: Can Aerial Remote Sensing Deliver Sufficient Data to Quantitatively Compare the Emissions Performance of Oil & Gas Operators in the United States Permian Basin?

Rapid mitigation of methane (CH4) emissions from the oil and gas sector within the next decade is not only imperative for meeting the climate targets outlined in the Paris Agreement but also technologically feasible using existing technologies at no net external cost. Putting these technologies into practice requires substantial effort from a diverse set of stakeholders including not only operators but also external pressure from regulators, investors, and other NGOs. Transparency regarding an operators past, current and future emissions data is imperative to communicating progress to stakeholders and enacting lasting emissions reductions. Alongside driving direct emissions mitigation efforts in the Permian Basin, developing a basis for the comparison of emission intensity between Permian oil and gas producers is a key initiative of EDFs Permian Methane Analysis (PermianMAP) project. Aerial remote sensing technologies that allow for site-level emission estimates has the largest potential to fill this challenge with its broad coverage area and assessment of emissions persistence using repeated overflights; however, many technical challenges still remain in the path of developing robust metrics of emissions performance for Permian operators. This presentation will discuss the progress made thus far towards comparing Permian operator performance with empirical measurement data as well as the future challenges that still remain.