Venting and fugitive emissions Our venting and fugitive emissions in 2015 totaled 6 million CO 2 -equivalent metric tons, which is essentially flat relative to our 2014 performance. While venting and fugitive emissions, most of which are methane, represent approximately 5 percent of our direct greenhouse gas emissions, we recognize the importance of reducing these emissions. We continue to look for cost-effective ways to reduce methane and other hydrocarbon emissions in our operations, such as replacing high-bleed pneumatic devices with lower-emission technology and conducting green well completions in targeted Upstream operations. For more information on how XTO Energy manages methane emissions, see the adjacent Up Close. Cogeneration Cogeneration technology captures heat generated from the production of electricity for use in production, refining and chemical processing operations. Due to its inherent energy efficiency, the use of cogeneration leads to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Our cogeneration facilities alone enable the avoidance of approximately 6 million metric tons per year of greenhouse gas emissions. We have interests in approximately 5,500 megawatts of cogeneration capacity in more than 100 installations at more than 30 locations around the world. This capacity is equivalent to the annual energy needed to power 2.5 million U.S. homes. Over the past decade, we have added more than 1,000 megawatts of cogeneration capacity and continue to develop additional investment opportunities. For example, ExxonMobil began the construction of a new 84-megawatt cogeneration facility at our Singapore refinery’s Jurong site. When this facility is completed in 2017, ExxonMobil will have more than 440 megawatts of cogeneration capacity in Singapore, enabling our integrated refining and petrochemical complex to meet all its power needs.
Paula Byrum inspects equipment at our XTO Energy operations site near Herbert Springs, Arkansas.
Up Close: Mitigating methane emissions at XTO Energy XTO Energy manages methane emissions as a matter of safety and environmental responsibility. Responsible methane containment practices are applied during drilling, completion and production operations to minimize methane emissions. We manage emissions through a mix of voluntary and regulatory actions, such as implementing leak detection and repair programs, reducing oil and gas completion emis- sions and targeting replacement of high-bleed pneumatics with lower-emitting devices. After drilling and completion of a new well, our workers prepare the production equipment for decades of operation. A key part of these preparations is to ensure that the natural gas product is contained by the production equipment. We utilize optical gas imaging cameras to locate equipment leaks that would otherwise be invisible, which allows us to detect leaks and make repairs. This attention to detail is important to promote safety and environmental performance.
There is a growing interest within the scientific and policy communities on human-related methane emissions. In the United States, we are working with federal and state governments and within industry to ensure that regulations aimed at reducing emissions of methane and volatile organic compounds sufficiently support long-term operations, achieve emission reduction objectives and provide flexibility for technology. We continue to seek greater understanding of the magnitude and characteristics of oil and gas industry-related methane emissions. XTO Energy participated in studies conducted by the University of Texas and Environmental Defense Fund which quantified the methane leakage rate in the United States from Upstream gas production activities at 0.4 percent of the total gas produced. The results of this study helped validate Environmental Protection Agency estimates. We are active in ongoing methane research including participating in a methane measurement reconciliation study with the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory to close the knowledge gap between methane measured at ground sources and methane measured from the air. We are also working with Stanford University on its new Natural Gas Initiative, which will focus on methane measurement and monitoring technologies.
Managing climate change risks exxonmobil.com/citizenship
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