Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval  Watch |  Listen

Dominion Energy announces plans to cut methane emissions in half

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Dominion Energy’s Aaron Ruby admits that the company’s 10-year plan to reduce their methane emissions by 50 percent is an aggressive timeline but one that can and will be done.

Ruby said the timeline announced on Tuesday to reduce methane emissions from the company’s natural gas infrastructure by 50 percent over the next decadeĀ based on 2010 levels, is a testament to leadership in the company.

“The leadership of our company laid down the marker and said this is an important issue, we need to build a more sustainable future for our planet and customers,” Ruby said. “We need to figure out what are the innovative technologies and programs that we can put in place to achieve this goal. It is an aggressive goal but we are going to get there.

“We’ve spent the last 10 years piloting the different technologies and programs and seeing what works and what is most effective. With this new initiative today, we are going to be dramatically expanding the most effective technologies and programs across our entire system in order to achieve this historic goal.”

Dominion Energy hopes to prevent 430,000 metric tons of emissions by 2030.

 

 

 

 

Ruby is in charge of Communications for Dominion Energy’s Gas Infrastructure and according to him, the initiative will prevent more than 430,000 metric tons of methane from entering the atmosphere, the equivalent of taking 2.3 million cars off the road for a year or planting nearly 180 million new trees.

This continues Dominion Energy’s charge to cut methane emissions as Ruby said the company has made progress in the past decade as part of its effort to combat global warming. Over the last 10 years, steps were taken to prevent more than 180,000 metric tons of methane from entering the atmosphere, which according to Dominion Energy is equivalent to taking almost 1 million cars off the road for a year or planting 75 million new trees.

“This is a real significant program,” Ruby said. “It’s going to go a long way towards combatting climate change and really building a more sustainable future.”

The company has thousands of miles of natural gas pipeline in West Virginia along with underground storage operations in the state. Ruby says the reduction of methane emissions will be from the entire natural gas system including those pipelines and underground storages along with production operations in the western part of the United States.

Methane emissions have a couple of sources but none larger than gas venting before maintenance and inspection of the pipeline system. Now those gases will be reused.

“What we are doing is we are capturing the methane before we do maintenance or inspection and then we are recycling and reusing it in other parts of the system that are operating and not maintenance or inspection,” Ruby said.

Ruby added Dominion Energy will begin replacing older equipment across the system as part of this initiative with lower emissions equipment. This includes the bare steel and cast iron pipes from the 50s and 60s along with values, fittings, joints, and seals.

Out West, the company has already started replacing gas-powered pumps with solar-powered pumps, which might be something to look at in the East, according to Ruby. That change alone has reduced methane emissions at gas producing wells by 90-percent, Ruby said.

The third step to this program is to expand the leak detection and repair program Dominion Energy already has in place. This program finds the smallest emissions that are often toughest to detect because an individual cannot see, smell or hear the emissions. Ruby said this is one of the programs that has really worked over the past 10 years and will continue into the next decade with even more infrared cameras to detect the gas.

“What this is all about, this initiative is building a more sustainable future for our planet, our customers and for our industry,” Ruby said.

The company intends to reduce its carbon intensity by 60 percent by 2030.

Dominion Energy, based in Richmond, Virginia, is one of the leading natural gas suppliers in West Virginia and has nearly 7.5 million customers in 18 states. For more information about Dominion Energy’s initiative to reduce methane emissions, visit www.DominionEnergy.com/methane-reduction.





More News

News
MetroNews This Morning 3-29-24
Summary of West Virginia news, sports, and weather for Friday, March 29, 2024
March 29, 2024 - 6:24 am
News
Dunlow Volunteer Fire Department closes
The Dunlow VFD did not have a valid workers compensation insurance policy.
March 29, 2024 - 1:23 am
News
As Yeager Airport's Wildlife Patrol Dog turns 7, a new dog comes in to learn from him
The new Border Collie is getting acclimated and receiving training for his soon-to-be role.
March 28, 2024 - 6:30 pm
News
PEIA examines financial effects of new law meant to ensure local pharmacies get fair reimbursements
Gov. Jim Justice signed Senate Bill 453 into law this week.
March 28, 2024 - 4:11 pm