The GERG (Groupement Européen de Recherche Gazière), of which RICE is a member, is launching a new European research project aimed at testing the most promising technologies at gas sites to quantify methane emissions.
The project is led by the European Gas Research Group (GERG) and the Spanish transmission system operator Enagás, with the participation of GRTgaz, several European gas infrastructure operators and gas associations. The objective is to improve knowledge and the use of new technologies to quantify methane emissions in infrastructures, and thus strengthen actions to reduce emissions. The first tests were carried out in Spain in early October. GERG is launching a unique European research project to test the most promising technologies at gas sites to quantify methane emissions. 14 European gas infrastructure operators and gas associations are involved in the project: GERG, Enagás, GRTgaz, Storengy, Danish Gas Center, Gassco, Gasunie, Medgaz, National Grid, Open Grid Europe, Snam, Sedigas, Synergrid and Uniper. Enagás is coordinating the project with the operational support of Bureau Veritas. GRTgaz is present via RICE, its research and innovation centre, which has piloted the upstream phase of the project to identify the most promising technologies for testing. Usually, gas operators carry out measurements on site, as close as possible to the equipment. New remote measurement technologies aim at quantifying the overall emissions of a geographical area and providing an overall assessment. Embedded in drones, moving vehicles on the ground or in the air, or installed on site, 12 different technologies are tested during the project to evaluate their accuracy and reliability. A new quantification prototype developed by RICE is among these 12 promising technologies. This collective project illustrates the efforts that gas operators are making to improve the quantification of their methane emissions with a view to significantly reducing them on the basis of the knowledge acquired. This initiative echoes the ambitions of the European Commission to develop legislation before the end of 2021 to improve the quantification of methane emissions and their reduction in the energy sector. The stakeholders of this project consider the reduction of methane emissions as a priority in order to contribute to the short-term mitigation of climate change and to reinforce the environmental value of gas and gas infrastructures in the energy transition. Read the full press release.
