UK study launches first methane-sensing drones

Neptune Energy Group has teamed up with Environmental Defense Fund to measure methane emissions using gas-sensing drones on an offshore platform in the North Sea, the E&P company announced today.

The five-day study on the Cygnus gas production facility involved unmanned aviation systems engineering company Flylogix, drone platform provider Texo DSI and analytics technology provider SeekOps.

The key objective was to establish an accurate benchmark for measuring methane emissions in offshore environments.

“The abatement of methane emissions will be crucial in meeting the Paris Agreement goals and – given the short lifespan of methane emissions – we know that taking meaningful action today can bring positive results in as little as nine years,” said Pete Jones, vice-president of operations in Europe for Neptune Energy Group.

“Neptune already has one of the lowest methane intensities in the sector at 0.01%, compared with the industry average of 0.23%, and has set a target of net zero methane emissions by 2030.”

Results will be published in a peer-reviewed paper 2022.