Dominion Energy has announced an initiative to reduce methane emissions from the company’s natural gas infrastructure by 50% over the next decade. The action will prevent more than 430,000 metric tons of methane from entering the atmosphere.
This voluntary initiative builds on the significant progress Dominion Energy has made in reducing methane emissions over the last decade, and the 50% reduction of carbon emissions achieved across Dominion’s electric fleet since 2000.
Dominion Energy will achieve emissions in three primary ways:
- Reducing or eliminating gas venting during planned maintenance and inspections.
- Replacing older equipment across its system with new, low-emission equipment.
- Expanding leak detection and repair programs across its entire system .
The primary focus will be on the reduction and elimination of venting during maintenance activities, for example the use of Zero Emissions Vacuum and Compression (ZEVAC®) technology to capture methane before maintenance or inspection so it can be recycled for reuse in other parts of the system.