BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 7. The methane emissions reduction program has proven to be extremely successful, Afghan Isayev, Vice President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), said, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
Isayev made the announcement during his speech at an event held as part of “Baku Climate Action Week 2026” (BCAW 2026).
He noted that reducing methane emissions may be easier than removing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere.
“It is easier to detect methane emissions, eliminate them, and secure funding for this effort. Because we are essentially talking about natural gas. It can be extracted, returned to the system, and even sold. This process can also be carried out in parallel with improving operational efficiency,” Isayev emphasized.
Noting that SOCAR began work on a methane emissions reduction program in late 2023 in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the vice president said that this collaboration has yielded significant results.
“Personally, I was very skeptical at first. However, we realized that, depending on the time horizon, one metric ton of reduced methane can be equivalent to more than 30–80 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent,” he noted.
According to Isayev, with support from BCG, the SOCAR team developed a program to reduce methane emissions.
He noted that SOCAR joined the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC) in 2023 and later began collaborating with GHGSat.
“We identified areas with high levels of methane emissions. We’re not afraid to talk about this because it was part of the program. We managed to eliminate all of these emissions,” the SOCAR representative added.
He said that SOCAR then began collaborating with Total and utilized the company’s AOT technology.
“This program proved to be extremely successful. We effectively recouped the costs incurred for consultants by discovering the gas, returning it to the system, and selling it. Therefore, the program was very successful,” Isayev said.
The vice president noted that as a result of implementing the program, SOCAR became a member of the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0.
“Together with BCG, we developed the Methane AI tool. Currently, this tool helps us identify methane emissions and continue monitoring them. We are continuing this program, our monitoring efforts, and our work to reduce emissions, and we will continue to do so in the future,” he emphasized.
Isayev recommended that companies launch programs to reduce methane emissions.
“For those thinking about getting started in this area, there’s one very important point: it’s easier to convince your boss or management, as well as members of the board of directors, to allocate a budget for this. Because you’re helping them optimize their operations and make more money. That’s why this issue is important,” the SOCAR vice president said.
