ONGC Partners with ISRO to Track Methane Leaks Using Satellites

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is discussing a collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to use its satellites for more accurate and cost-effective detection of methane leaks at ONGC’s facilities across India.

ONGC is part of the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC), a global initiative launched at COP28, with a goal to cut methane emissions by 50% by 2027 and by 80% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels.

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Currently, ONGC reports its methane leakages, known as fugitive emissions, following guidelines from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These guidelines estimate that methane emissions account for 4-6% of the company’s total carbon emissions.

Deepak Tandon, executive director and chief of the carbon management and sustainability group at ONGC, stated, “Our goal is to transition from estimates to precise measurements using advanced technologies to capture lost opportunities due to fugitive emissions.”

Fugitive emissions represent lost revenue for ONGC. The company currently relies on emissions data from the TROPOMI satellite operated by the European Space Agency. However, Tandon noted that this data is limited, saying, “What we use now is open-source data, which is very broad and not as effective as we would prefer.” TROPOMI cannot detect emissions at night or from offshore sites. While satellite data helps identify emission hotspots, it doesn’t pinpoint the exact source of leaks.

To improve tracking, ONGC plans to conduct aerial surveys using Total’s AUSEA drone gas analyzer technology. By combining satellite images with these aerial surveys, the company hopes to locate leakage areas, which can then be manually inspected using optical gas imaging cameras for accurate identification of leakage sources.

Next year, ONGC’s understanding of emissions is expected to improve with data from MethaneSat, a more advanced satellite supported by the US and New Zealand. MethaneSat will provide information on emission concentration and leakage rates. ONGC will receive this data for free, similar to its current arrangement with TROPOMI.