BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 14. The Canadian GHGSat (Greenhouse Gas Emissions Monitoring Service) uses its own constellation of 12 satellites to look at methane emissions directly from oil and gas and landfill sites in Uzbekistan, Vice President for Strategy at GHGSat Jean-Francois Gauthier told Trend.
“We routinely see emissions at dozens of sites across the country, and the opportunities to make a difference, especially in the lead up to COP29, are clear and abundant,” he said.
According to him, GHGSat collects a lot of data over oil and gas and landfill facilities in Uzbekistan with satellites, with the ability to revisit frequently to help define whether emissions are persistent or intermittent. The service’s data is independently verified, validated, and proven with multiple third parties like NASA, ESA, Stanford University, and several oil and gas operators.
“We are ready now to work closely with Uzbekneftegaz and the government to raise confidence in the technology and drive verifiable emissions reductions together. The GHGSat’s model is to always work together with operators first to help them address their emissions. We met with several officials from Uzbekneftegaz in 2023 to share with them the results we have for the country. The discussion was open and productive, but it has yet to result in direct collaboration,” the vice president noted.
He emphasized that GHGSat has been involved in early-stage projects in the country with partners like the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Norwegian Carbon Limits, and remains open to any and all collaborations to put the data in the hands of decision makers.
The GHGSat company is searching for greenhouse gas emissions on Earth from space. Today, it serves about half of the satellites in the world that have the ability to detect methane in the atmosphere – leaks are recorded at production facilities in the oil and gas sector and other industrial sectors where gas is produced.