EQT eliminating pneumatic devices, reduces methane emissions by 70 percent

On Wednesday, Pittsburgh-based EQT Corporation announced it had reduced its methane emissions by 70 percent by eliminating 100 percent of its natural gas-powered pneumatic devices from its operations worldwide.

The $28 million company-wide initiative will also reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 305,614 metric tons of CO2e. The company replaced or retrofitted nearly 9,000 pneumatic controllers on all of its production locations and compressor stations, using a “fit-for-purpose” technology strategy, installing 341 air compressors and retrofitting 451 dump assemblies and 381 motor valves to electric actuators. The entire conversion process took 515 days, covering nearly 23,000 man-hours. The company said the process was completed a year ahead of schedule.

“We told the world we were aggressively addressing methane emissions, and we did what we promised. As the nation’s largest natural gas producer, EQT not only delivered on its commitment to eliminate a major source of methane emissions in our operations, we also did it in a cost-effective, expedient way,” said Toby Z. Rice, President and CEO of EQT. “This milestone demonstrates our team’s exceptional ability to rapidly evolve EQT’s operations through innovation and teamwork and better positions affordable, reliable, clean natural gas as one of the world’s most impactful decarbonizing tools.”

Natural gas-driven pneumatic devices used for managing produced fluids in separators, scrubbers, and filters represented 39 percent of the company’s Scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions, the company said. It is one of several strategies the company is employing to achieve Net Zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 Greenhouse Gas emissions in its production segment operations by 2025.