EQT Corp. has obtained certifications for most of its natural gas production under Equitable Origin Inc.'s environmental, social and governance standards and under MiQ's methane standards, making EQT the largest producer of certified natural gas in the U.S.
EQT's certified natural gas, also known as responsibly sourced gas, now makes up 4.5% of all natural gas produced in the U.S., the company said in a Jan. 14 news release. The certifications are part of EQT's efforts to achieve net-zero scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions and a 65% reduction in methane emissions intensity by 2025.
An independent assessment body for both Equitable Origin and MiQ's standards examined EQT's performance at about 200 well pads in Greene and Washington counties in Pennsylvania, which have a combined production of about 4.0 Bcf/d. Equitable Origin certified EQT's produced gas against ESG principles that include corporate governance and ethics; social impacts, human rights and community engagement; occupational health and safety; and environmental impacts.
EQT said it achieved the highest initial certification score by any upstream producer domestically or abroad to date from Equitable Origin. "These results not only enable us to unlock growing domestic and international markets that are valuing a differentiated commodity, they also serve as an important validation of the environmental attributes of Appalachian natural gas," EQT President and CEO Toby Rice said.
The natural gas producer received the certifications under the EO100 Standard for Responsible Energy Development and the MiQ methane standard in November 2021. The first block of EQT's certified natural gas has been made available for trading on MiQ's digital registry, which launched in December 2021.
EQT also has a partnership with Project Canary Inc. for a pilot project to produce responsibly sourced gas, which involves installing devices at EQT well pads to continuously measure their methane emissions in real time.
The rise of responsibly sourced gas comes as shale gas producers face market pressure to offer "clean" supplies by addressing greenhouse gas emissions in the natural gas supply chain, with certification providing the assurance that drillers are limiting methane emissions in their operations.