Aerial Laser Technology Leads to Methane Emission Reductions in Canadian Oil and Gas Operations

BOZEMAN, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bridger Photonics, Inc. (Bridger) today announced that its advanced aerial laser technology, Gas Mapping LiDAR™, is successfully contributing to methane emission reductions, including through a large-scale monitoring program with Canadian oil and gas producer Cenovus Energy Inc.

Bridger’s Gas Mapping LiDAR detects, locates, and quantifies methane emissions and is used by oil and gas operators throughout North America. Methane emissions from the energy industry represent a significant greenhouse gas contributor globally, and advancements in monitoring technology over the past several years have resulted in markedly improved ways to detect and measure emissions with greater effectiveness and efficiency.

Cenovus Energy Inc. has partnered with Bridger to conduct aerial methane screening across its conventional operations as part of an Alberta Energy Regulator-approved Alternative Fugitive Emissions Management Program (Alt-FEMP) pilot. Alt-FEMP allows operators to apply to use advanced technology, such as Bridger’s Gas Mapping LiDAR scans, for methane monitoring, rather than the traditional ground crew-based surveys that are otherwise currently required by Canadian regulations. In the Cenovus pilot, Bridger’s sensor mounted on a small aircraft scans production operations, resulting in imagery detailed enough to show the location, source, and size of methane emissions, enabling Cenovus to prioritize emission reduction efforts. In the fourth quarter of 2022, Bridger will perform the final round of Gas Mapping LiDAR scans for Cenovus, marking the completion of the company’s two-year Alt-FEMP pilot.

Using the data collected, Cenovus will be able to compare methane emission detection effectiveness to that of using a traditional ground-based approach. So far, the results of the pilot show methane emissions are being addressed faster and more comprehensively compared to traditional methods.

“Using the Gas Mapping LiDAR technology to identify methane emissions has enabled us to make sizable reductions. However, we still have more work ahead of us as we take meaningful action to reduce our overall greenhouse gas emissions,” said Sean Hiebert, Emissions Management Engineer at Cenovus. “Aerial detection and quantification technologies remain important tools as we continue to manage methane emissions from our operations.”

Cenovus’s Alt-FEMP pilot consists of multiple scans per year so it can assess methane emission mitigation efforts within a year, as well as between years. “Cenovus has demonstrated how operators can implement a strategic plan with an alternative technology to address and reduce emissions more efficiently,” stated Bridger’s VP of Operations, Ben Losby. “Cenovus’s approach to an Alt-FEMP using multiple scans is a great example of how advanced technologies like Gas Mapping LiDAR can help an operator to rapidly drive down emissions,” Losby added.

About Bridger Photonics, Inc.

Located in Bozeman, Montana, Bridger Photonics, Inc. provides aerial methane detection, localization, and quantification across the entire natural gas value chain. Gas Mapping LiDAR was developed using funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy and won an R&D100 Award in 2019 for the technology. Bridger’s mission is to enable clean, safe, and streamlined oil and gas operations by providing actionable data for methane emissions reduction. For more information, see www.bridgerphotonics.com.