Wintershall Dea has been awarded the Gold standard for the third consecutive year by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) for its engagement and pathway to reducing methane emissions.

“We aim to produce gas and oil as cleanly and safely as possible—and only for as long as we need it, too,” said Mario Mehren, CEO of Wintershall Dea, adding, “Part of these efforts is to continue reducing methane emissions, and we can do this best if we have reliable data.”

Wintershall Dea has been systematically pursuing leak detection and repair (LDAR) efforts since 2021, especially at production facilities in Germany, Egypt, Algeria, and Mexico.

The company is also using drones with sensors to take measurements from the air at production sites, verifying the data obtained by the LDAR programs on the ground. Additionally, Wintershall Dea is working closely with partners and operators to measure and reduce methane emissions in partner-operated plants, reduce flaring, and boost energy efficiency.

In the company’s annual International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) report, the UNEP publishes data and progress of participating companies related to methane emissions in a transparent and comprehensible manner, in which the data is assessed according to the stringent OGMP 2.0 regulations.

Besides OGMP 2.0, Wintershall Dea is also involved in several voluntary initiatives aimed at reducing emissions. These include the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA), the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative’s (OGCI) Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions, the World Bank’s Zero Routine Flaring initiative, and the Methane Guiding Principles (MGP).

Notably, the IMEO report was initiated by UNEP and supported by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the European Commission. It currently represents the highest standard for methane reporting and has over 100 companies from the gas and oil industries involved.