Diversified taps Bridger to find methane leaks

US-focused oil and gas producer Diversified Energy said on November 30 it had tapped Montana-based Bridger Photonics to help it find methane leaks at its facilities.

Bridger specialises in using precision laser imaging, detection and ranging (LiDAR) equipment aerially to find methane escaping from oil and gas facilities. It estimates that its technology can detect more than 90% from production basin emissions.

Earlier this year the company helped Diversified detect fugitive natural gas emissions along a section of pipeline in the Appalachian basin. The trial confirmed that Bridger's LiDAR technology could detect emissions well below the 500 parts/million threshold set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Based on this result, Diversified said it would spend $3mn annually on this aerial methane detection over the next three years. CEO Rusty Hutson Jr said this would help the company deliver a 30% cut to its methane emissions by 2026 versus the level in 2020.

"Adding aerial emissions detection to the handheld devices we've placed in the hands of our skilled well tenders further enhances our ability to detect and repair fugitive emissions across our asset base," he said. "Our partnership with the Bridger team is another important milestone as we continue to evaluate other investments that will support our methane-reduction initiatives."

Diversified said earlier this month it was looking to deploy an extra 500 handheld methane detection devices at its Appalachian sites. It has already deployed 100 at its fields there under a pilot project.

The company controls some 67,000 conventional and unconventional gas, NGL and oil producing wells that tap the Appalachian basin's Marcellus and Utica shale plays.