Athens, 26th of January 2024 – DEPA Infrastructure, adopting parent group Italgas’ strategic commitment to building a carbon-neutral future, has joined the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0. This strategic initiative aligns DEPA Infrastructure’s ambition with its shareholder, further reinforcing its objective to minimizing methane emissions. Italgas, among the original members of OGMP 2.0 back in 2020, has consistently been awarded the “Gold Standard” Pathway status on the basis of a credible and granular implementation plan for the consecutive years 2021, 2022, and 2023.
OGMP 2.0 stands as the industry’s sole comprehensive, measurement-based, voluntary reporting framework, enhancing the accuracy and transparency of methane emissions reporting in the Oil and Gas sector. The partnership brings together over 120 leading oil and gas companies worldwide, spanning the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors, in collaboration with government and civil society entities.
OGMP 2.0 member companies, including DEPA Infrastructure, commit to a detailed process that involves listing all emitting assets, determining their materiality, defining a methane emissions reduction target, and designing an implementation plan for improved emissions reporting. Methane emissions are reported annually at different levels (1 to 5) on the pathway to the Gold Standard, reflecting the quality of the estimate. This journey moves from generic emissions factors to robust quantification methodologies, including direct measurement on a representative sample of facilities.
In addition to providing a standardized reporting framework, OGMP 2.0 serves as a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration among industry stakeholders. Periodical technical workshops facilitate the sharing of insights, experiences, and best practices, contributing to a deeper understanding of potential emissions sources, quantification methods, mitigation strategies, and overcoming associated challenges.
DEPA Infrastructure, as an Italgas Group company, remains deeply committed to minimizing fugitive methane emissions. Leveraging advanced leak detection solutions with its Subsidiary Distribution Network Operator DEDA, successfully utilizes a cutting-edge Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy technology, the Picarro Surveyor, introduced by Italgas already by 2018. This sophisticated sensing technology enhances the speed of action, sensitivity in detection, and the scope of areas under control. In 2023 more than 100% of the distribution network has already been investigated with Picarro by DEDA in Greece, reaching the 120% goal by the end of the year.
The adoption of this technological innovation, combined with Italgas’ digitization initiatives in Greece, enhances safety, optimizes emissions monitoring and overall network management and improves the quality of services provided. It also enables smart and predictive maintenance activities, prioritizing leaks based on a materiality assessment, which allows for the implantation of the most cost-efficient solutions that benefit both the consumers and the environment.
The inclusion of DEPA Infrastructure to OGMP 2.0 leveraging on the foundations set by Italgas, extends its dedication to environmental sustainability and continuous improvement in methane emissions management beyond the regulatory thresholds set in Greece. This commitment aligns with the Group’s Sustainable Value Creation Plan (SVCP), which includes a target of 42% reduction of Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 and reaching net-zero carbon by 2050 also applied in the Greek Perimeter.