Annual report on methane emissions
Storengy reaches the Gold Standard.
On the occasion of the COP26 in Glasgow, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched a new observatory on 31 October aiming to reduce emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas which is causing at least one quarter of global warming.
This new annual report published by the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) describes the way in which players can contribute to a reduction in methane emissions originating from fossil fuel industries, as well as the progress accomplished within the framework of the energy sector’s decarbonisation process. Thus, decision-makers will be able to track and monitor methane emissions and plan actions to be made in order to achieve the objectives set.
As a player committed to the energy transition, limiting the methane emissions caused by activities linked to energy has become a major strategic issue for Storengy, a member of the OGMP 2.0 (Oil & Gas Methane Partnership) initiative. With this in mind, our subsidiaries have recently made the commitment to reduce their methane emissions by 25 to 45% by the year 2025 (compared to the 2016 emissions) for all their operational storage sites. One of the first objectives of this action plan is to monitor the different sources and quantify methane emissions according to the procedure put forward by OGMP 2.0. Second, the aim is to avoid and reduce methane emissions generated by the underground storage activity.
In accordance with ENGIE’s strategy and the European Commission’s challenge to fight global warming, especially by reducing methane emissions, the reduction of our ecological footprint shall continue until we reach carbon neutrality.
In the three countries where it is present (France, Germany and the United Kingdom), Storengy has reached the “Gold Standard” with an estimated reduction in methane emissions by 25 to 45% by 2025. For the present reporting cycle, the “Gold Standard” has been granted for the comprehensiveness of a company's implementation plan.
For several years, the company has been committed to reducing the environmental footprint of its activities.
In the case of methane, the emissions linked to gas infrastructures represent 2% of the total emissions in France, while storage only represents 0.1%.
In 2020, Storengy started operation “Gaz Booster” at several sites, including Beynes in the Department of Yvelines, which is based on a technology allowing for gas recovery from pipelines during maintenance works. This technique is a means to capture a substantial quantity of gas and re-inject it into the reservoir instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.
These operations complete the regular campaigns to track fugitive gas emissions.
Within the framework of voluntary action and its ISO 50001 certification, Storengy is working on a daily basis to replace and install more and more efficient equipment. Some equipment is replaced every year to ensure its tightness, such as at the Gournay-sur-Aronde storage site, where an emission-free compressor has been installed.
Storengy has been developing this type of French-designed technologies for many years and deployed them at its many sites, such as Beynes, which has been renovated recently.