TotalEnergies, a multi-energy company that works to responsibly boost the supply of energy with lower emissions, will invest through Total Austral more than 100 million US dollars in the next three years to reach 80% in the reduction of methane emissions in Argentina.
The company has already achieved a 60% reduction in methane emissions in the period 2020-2023 and its next goal is to exceed this goal by 2030, reducing these emissions by 80% compared to 2020, and with the ambition of reaching zero methane emissions by 2050.
Methane (CH4) has long been one of the main challenges for the oil and gas industry, by virtue of the care it deserves for the environment and the fight against climate change. Total Austral, the main private natural gas operator in the country operating more than 30 million cubic meters per day of natural gas, has been implementing successful initiatives to fulfill its ambition in the elimination of methane emissions in its operations, both in Neuquén and Tierra del Fuego, and that allowed it to go from 6 kilotons / year of methane emissions in 2020 to 2 kilotons / year today.
Among the projects for the reduction of methane emissions – CH4, the company works on the elimination of instrument gas by replacing 100% of air-operated pneumatic pumps through skids energized by solar panels, both in Neuquén and Tierra del Fuego.
The reduction and elimination of venting and flaring sources is another of Total Austral’s lines of work. In this sense, the company carries out the implementation of a Flaring Policy to establish (by site) the design limitations and technical justification for safety and routine. It should be noted that, thanks to a rigorous risk analysis, Total Austral completed the extinguishing of two torches and advances in the study for the extinguishment of seven others. These and many other actions are complemented by continuous monitoring for the detection of leaks in valves thanks to state-of-the-art technology.
In addition to this, Total Austral carries out initiatives of great complexity and considerable investments to improve energy efficiency and consequent reduction of carbon dioxide – CO2 emissions. In the case of Aguada Pichana Este, through the construction of a 43-kilometer high voltage line (132KV), which will provide renewable electricity supply to the plant. At this point, the immediate objective is to be able to replace the thermo-compressors with electric compressors which will allow a reduction of GHG emissions of 28 ktCO2eq / year.
Additionally, it is highlighted that in Tierra del Fuego Total Austral has a project to build a wind farm that will allow the supply of decarbonized electricity to the Cullen River treatment plant, where the energy used is currently by thermocombustion.
Worldwide, TotalEnergies managed to position itself as a pioneer in the comprehensive approach to methane emissions, with groups of experts working on their detection, measurement and control through satellites, aircraft (KAIROS), permanent measurement campaigns via drones (AUSEA, development of TotalEnergies in cooperation with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne), monitoring and detection of leaks (QLDAR), measurement of exhaust gases for the quantification and consequent reduction of greenhouse gases.
This is how the company is certified at Level 3 by the OGMP 2.0 (Oil and Gas Methane Partnership, or Association for Methane, or Association for Methane, of Oil and Gas producers) and aims to certify Level 4 by the end of 2023.
In this way, the focus of TotalEnergies is multi-energy, with a very ambitious objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, both carbon dioxide and methane, while increasing the supply of energy required by societies worldwide.
