How to navigate today’s complexities of emissions management?

How to navigate today’s complexities of emissions management; 
an interview with our Head of Innovation & Advisory

As environmental regulations become more stringent and the demand for accurate reporting grows, companies in the oil and gas industry face increasing challenges in managing and interpreting emission data. From diverse emission sources to evolving measurement technologies, the landscape is more complex than ever.

At Intero – The Sniffers, we help clients navigate these challenges with an integrated approach. In this interview, our Head of Innovation & Advisory Federico Noris shares insights on key complexities in emissions management, the latest advancements in measurement technologies, and how expert advisory services can support companies in achieving accurate, credible, and compliant emission reporting.

What are some of the key challenges associated with interpreting and aggregating emission data effectively from a broad range of assets and sources?

"One of the biggest challenges is accurately defining the sampling population of emission sources. Different assets have various source types, emission characteristics, and operational practices, making it crucial to categorize and account for all relevant emission points with their specific emission profile.

Another key challenge is data availability and estimation methodologies. Not all emissions can be directly measured, so companies often rely on a mix of direct measurements, engineering calculations, and emission factors. An hybrid approach formed by the combination of the right methodology for each source type is essential to ensure data accuracy and consistency.

Additionally, emissions are not static—they vary over time and space. This temporal and spatial variability makes extrapolation and uncertainty analysis critical components of emission management. Understanding how emissions fluctuate due to changing operational conditions, environmental factors, or measurement limitations is necessary to derive meaningful insights and ensure compliance with regulatory and voluntary frameworks.

At Intero – The Sniffers, we help our clients tackle these complexities by leveraging advanced measurement technologies, data analytics, and industry best practices to provide reliable, actionable emission data."

You mentioned multiple estimation methodologies and data sources in processing emission data. How do you prioritize or balance these factors to ensure credibility in your analysis?

“Multiple and complex assets have a variety of sources whose emissions are quantified via a combination of different methodologies and with spatial and temporal variability. We follow current recognized internal standards and state-of-the-art procedures for quantification and estimation. Additionally, we leverage software and tools to support the definition of the most robust estimation, considering the measurement limitations, for each emission category of each asset that forms the complete portfolio.

What innovations or advancements in emission measurement technologies are you most excited about?

“From a hardware point of view there are portable gas analyzers that have extremely low detection limits (e.g., ppb) and that can quickly separate out the biogenic from the anthropogenic emissions. Additionally, the evolution of CEMS in terms of accurately localizing and quantifying emissions from a range of sources can enable to better account for the temporal variability of the emissions and to estimate emissions that are challenging to reach for technicians.

From a software perspective, data processing tools equipped with AI and data analytics functionalities hold promise to deliver data intelligence to make informed decisions, including predictions, anomaly identification, and recommend abatement opportunities.”

How do you see the role of advisory services evolving as environmental regulations and targets become more stringent?

“We can support operators in tackling the complex challenges associated with GHG emissions in oil & gas with an integrated approach centered around a progressive roadmap that includes an initial gap analysis, characterization of emission sources and population, methodology/technology selection and data processing including the integration of multiple data sources, temporal and spatial variability, extrapolation, uncertainty analysis and data intelligence. All these aspects are key to properly accounting for GHG emissions and meeting the stricter requirements from regulators or voluntary frameworks (e.g. OGMP, OGCI).”

Looking for support?

Our Innovation & Advisory team gladly supports you with understanding your current emissions situation and defining a tailored action plan. Reach out to us.