ONGC signs cooperation agreement with TotalEnergies to detect and measure methane emissions

On the sidelines of the India Energy Week 2024 in Goa, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) signed a cooperation agreement with TotalEnergies to carry out methane emissions detection and measurement campaigns using TotalEnergies’ pioneer AUSEA (Airborne Ultralight Spectrometer for Environmental Applications) technology. 

An official release said that ONGC has been inviting international technology partners to help reduce its methane emissions in India by 2030, while TotalEnergies has decided to share its AUSEA technology in an effort to pivot the whole industry towards zero methane emissions by 2030. Both companies are party to the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC), global industry initiative launched at COP28.

ONGC joins a growing list of national companies who have signed cooperation agreements with TotalEnergies for the use of AUSEA including Petrobras in Brazil, SOCAR in Azerbaijan, Sonangol in Angola and NNPCL in Nigeria.

What is AUSEA gas analyzer?

AUSEA gas analyzer, a one-of-a-kind technology by TotalEnergies, is mounted on a drone, and developed by TotalEnergies and its R&D partners. 

Consisting of a dual sensor capable of detecting methane and carbon dioxide emissions, AUSEA identifies theirsource at the same time. 

It marks a step change in methane emissions detection and measurement compared to traditional techniques. 

By allowing access to hard-to-reach emission points, on all types of industrial facilities, both offshore and offshore, the release states that AUSEA is reputed as one of the most accurate technologies in the industry.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Patrick Pouyanné - Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, said, “Our industry’s priority in the fight against climate change is to slash methane emissions from operations. Aiming for zero methane emissions by 2030 is our collective ambition as signatories of the OGDC at COP28. We are pleased to collaborate and make our AUSEA technology available to ONGC, in India, to detect, measure and eventually reduce methane emissions on their own assets.”

Commenting on the pact, ONGC Chairman and CEO Arun Kumar Singh, said “In line with our collective ambitions as signatories of the OGDC at COP28, ONGC is scouting for new technologies to reduce its methane emissions by 50 per cent by 2027 and by 80 per cent in 2030 compared to 2020. The introduction of the AUSEA technology will further strengthen our efforts to achieve zero methane emissions by 2038.”