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May 22, 2025

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Article

Making Methane Management Make Sense in 2025

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Kayla Ball

Why emissions reduction needs to fit the business—not fight it.

With capital discipline back in focus, many oil and gas companies are pulling back from expansive emissions programs. Drilling budgets are tighter. Returns to shareholders are prioritized. Operational teams are being asked to do more with less.

And yet, methane management remains a pressing issue—not just because of regulations, but because unmanaged emissions create operational inefficiencies, product loss, and reporting headaches that cost time and money.

The challenge is clear: how do you reduce emissions without adding complexity or cost?

Reframing Methane as an Operations Problem

Methane isn’t just a climate issue—it’s a sign of system inefficiency.

Leaks point to lost product, poorly timed maintenance, and avoidable field visits. That’s why emissions mitigation shouldn’t sit off to the side of your operations—it should be embedded in how you manage assets day to day.

If you’re already detecting emissions with flyovers, CMS, SCADA, or LDAR, you don’t need to start from scratch. The key is turning those detections into coordinated field response and defensible reporting—with the fewest possible steps in between.

3 Practical Priorities for 2025

1. Unify What You Already Measure

Most companies already have multiple sources of methane data—what’s missing is integration. Start with a system of record that brings it together and ties detections to equipment and time.

2. Make Response Repeatable

The real cost isn’t in the detection—it’s in the delay. Automate basic workflows: assign tasks, route crews, track resolutions. If a leak isn’t acted on within days, you’re leaving money on the ground (and in the air).

3. Prepare for the Reporting You Know Is Coming

Even if compliance feels distant, voluntary frameworks like OGMP 2.0 or MiQ are quickly becoming the default. You don’t need a dedicated team to get ready—you need clean records, consistent logic, and a way to show what you did with what you saw.

This Isn't About ESG Optics. It's Just Good Operations.

The companies that will outperform on emissions won’t be the ones with the biggest PR budgets. They’ll be the ones who can:

That’s not a climate strategy—it’s just smart asset management.
Emissions reduction doesn’t have to be big or flashy. It just has to work.