ExxonMobil receives top certification for methane emissions management for natural gas from Permian Basin

• “A” grade awarded by independent certifier after review of methane emission management programs
• Certification process expanding to other U.S. shale operations
• Independently certified natural gas helps meet customer demand for energy produced with fewer methane emissions

“This certification further validates the steps we have taken to reduce methane emissions, which is part of our plans to achieve net zero Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse emissions in our Permian Basin unconventional operations by 2030,” said Tom Schuessler, senior vice president of unconventional at ExxonMobil. “Certification gives our customers confidence that we are responsibly producing natural gas with best-in-class emission management programs to help them meet their emissions goals.”

MiQ awarded the “A” grade certification because of ExxonMobil’s extensive multi-tiered technology approach to methane monitoring and mitigation at its Poker Lake facilities in New Mexico. These efforts include a combination of fixed monitoring systems, aerial imaging technology, optical gas imaging cameras, proprietary acoustic sensors, and robust leak detection and repair practices. Responsible Energy Solutions performed ExxonMobil’s assessment using the MiQ Standard. 

 “It’s widely accepted that it’s now the time to take steps to limit the effects of climate change and reducing methane emissions is one of the most significant actions we can take,” said Georges Tijbosch, CEO of MiQ. “MiQ is pioneering Independently Certified Gas to help accelerate methane reductions from the natural gas industry and, as one of the world’s largest energy companies, ExxonMobil’s expansion of the certification program demonstrates that Independently Certified Gas is rapidly becoming the status quo.” 

ExxonMobil is expanding the certification process to other operating areas, including Appalachia natural gas operations in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It is now selling commercial volumes to customers, including Xcel Energy, which plans to use the natural gas to power homes, schools and businesses in southeastern New Mexico with fewer lifecycle emissions than non-certified natural gas. 

“Xcel Energy is committed to delivering net-zero energy by 2050 across all the ways our customers use energy, and that includes powering our generating fleet with natural gas purchased only from suppliers with certified low-methane emissions by 2030,” said David Hudson, president of Xcel Energy in New Mexico and Texas. “Fueling our New Mexico power plants with ExxonMobil’s certified natural gas is an important step in that direction and enables us to achieve the cleaner energy future we’re all envisioning.”

ExxonMobil has played a leadership role in methane mitigation and supports strong measurement, reporting and verification standards as part of a broad suite of regulations to help reduce methane emissions. ExxonMobil is a founding member of the Methane Guiding Principles, and in 2020 introduced a model regulatory framework for industry-wide methane regulations. ExxonMobil supports the U.S. and European Union’s Global Methane Pledge, the proposed U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan and the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative’s Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions.

Mitigating methane emissions is an important component of ExxonMobil’s plans to achieve net zero Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas emissions in the Permian Basin unconventional assets by 2030. Other parts of the plan include electrifying operations using renewable and lower-carbon power sources, eliminating routine flaring by year-end 2022, upgrading equipment and enhancing processes.

Similar GHG emission-reduction road maps are being developed for the company’s major operated upstream, refining and chemicals assets around the world. ExxonMobil has announced an ambition to achieve net zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions for its major operated assets by 2050, as detailed in the 2022 Advancing Climate Solutions Progress Report. 

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The corporation’s primary businesses - Upstream, Product Solutions and Low Carbon Solutions - provide products that enable modern life, including energy, chemicals, lubricants, and lower-emissions technologies. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading portfolio of resources, and is one of the largest integrated fuels, lubricants and chemical companies in the world. To learn more, visit exxonmobil.com and the Energy Factor. 

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Cautionary Statement
Outlooks; projections; goals; descriptions of strategic plans and objectives are forward-looking statements. Similarly, emission-reduction roadmaps to drive toward net zero are dependent on future market factors, such as continued technological progress and policy support, and represent forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include plans to capture methane and detect leaks ;  achieve ambitions to reach Scope 1 and Scope 2 net zero from operated assets by 2050, or Scope 1 and Scope 2 net zero in Upstream Permian operated assets by 2030, the elimination of routine flaring in-line with World Bank Zero Routine Flaring, or the completion of major asset emission-reduction roadmaps. Actual future results could differ materially due to a number of factors. These include the effectiveness of third party certifications; development and pace of supportive market conditions and national, regional and local policies relating to emission reductions, including methane leaks; changes in laws and regulations including laws and regulations regarding greenhouse gas emissions, carbon costs, and taxes; trade patterns and the development and enforcement of local, national and international mandates and treaties; unforeseen technical or operational difficulties; the ability to bring new technologies to commercial scale on a cost-competitive basis, including large-scale hydraulic fracturing projects and methane leak detection technologies; changes in supply and demand and other market factors affecting future prices of oil, gas, and petrochemical products; and other factors discussed in this release and under the heading “Factors Affecting Future Results” on the Investors page of ExxonMobil’s website at exxonmobil.com.

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