Developing a ‘fit for purpose’ approach to managing methane emissions
Ian Joynes A * , Mark Wittwer A and Yvette Manolas AA Woodside Energy Ltd, Perth, WA, Australia.
The APPEA Journal 63 S399-S403 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ22265
Accepted: 20 March 2023 Published: 11 May 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA.
Abstract
Gas producers need practical strategies to manage methane emissions within their natural gas supply chains. Methane sources are varied, and in most cases, challenging to identify and quantify due to their temporal and source-specific nature. However, once detected, mitigation is often simple. Complicating this is the diverse and rapidly evolving suite of technology solutions to support measurement and mitigation. As such, a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach may not provide a complete and cost-effective pathway to mitigate material methane sources. Woodside has taken specific action to reduce methane emissions and worked with stakeholders to improve methane emission management. In this paper, Woodside describes its journey in developing a ‘fit for purpose’ approach to managing methane emissions supporting the identification and prioritisation of projects for decarbonisation. Specifically it explores: (i) the learnings from the activities undertaken to develop methane inventories and the documentation of methane action plans for its facilities; (ii) experience with the measurement technologies deployed and how these technologies have informed a pragmatic basis to prioritise the delivery of mitigation projects; and (iii) the importance of ongoing peer knowledge sharing to unlock cost-effective pathways for sustainable measurement and mitigation technologies being deployed within Australia.
Keywords: decarbonisation, emissions, fugitive, gas, greenhouse, inventory, measurement, methane, mitigation, oil, valuation.
Ian Joynes is the Global Methane Decarbonisation Lead at Woodside and is deployed in the decarbonisation team. Ian has degrees in Engineering, Chemistry, and Business Administration, and with 20 years’ experience in the energy industry, his focus is Woodside’s global methane management strategy. |
Mark Wittwer is Senior Environmental Engineer at Woodside in the Operations Reliability & Integrity Management Team. Mark has 17 years’ industry experience, with sustained focus on emissions and energy efficiency improvements in Operations and Developments. |
Yvette Manolas is the General Manager and Global Head of Decarbonisation at Woodside responsible for Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions across Woodside’s global operations and projects. With 20 years’ experience in oil and gas, Yvette has held various roles and global leadership positions including General Manager of the Pluto LNG facilities and currently sits on several boards. |
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