GINOP PLUS 2.1.1-21 00096

Methane emissions monitoring at delivery stations and junctions, operational and technological developments

Beneficiaries: FGSZ Co. Limited, University of Miskolc

Subject and goal of the project: Methane emissions monitoring at delivery stations and junctions, operational and technological developments

Amount of funding for FGSZ Co. Ltd: HUF 336 890 809

Amount of total funding: HUF 518 182 309 

Details of the project: 

Since the time of the Industrial Revolution – mostly due to human activity – the increasing amount of greenhouse gases causes change in the climate of the Earth, leading to global warming. The most well-known, highest-concentration and most harmful gas among these is carbon-dioxide, the second one is methane. Several efforts and international initiatives were born to reduce methane emission, which are similar in that they do not handle the problem on an individual level, but regard it as a collective and international duty of the sector. Among the regulation initiatives born in relation to the international methane emission, FGSZ Ltd. has joined Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0), founded by UNEP and CCAC.

Due to its activity, both carbon-dioxide and methane emission of FGSZ is significant. Pressure boosting necessary for the transportation of natural gas is ensured by compressors driven by natural gas fuelled turbines, natural gas transmitted to distributor licensees must be preheated due to the pressure lowering, which is also realised through the use of natural gas. Hence it follows that among the glass house gases emitted by the company, the amount of carbon dioxide is the highest – this is regulated by the quota trading system of the EU (EU ETS). FGSZ constantly measures its carbon dioxide emission, while it has been decreasing the carbon dioxide emission in proportion to the transmitted amounts of natural gas for years, by the efficient use and development of gas turbines and heating equipment.

Among the greenhouse gases emitted during the operation of the system of FGSZ, the amount of methane is the second most significant. Methane is the most important element of natural gas, having a 28 times higher global warming potential (namely, the contribution of 28 carbon dioxide molecules is equivalent with the warming potential of one methane molecule). These emissions may originate from the normal operation of the equipment, from operational activity (e.g.: blowdown), from planned activities (e.g.: maintenance), but also from the malfunction of certain pieces of equipment (e.g.: leakage).

However, there is a crucial difference between these two types of emission: while the company has precisely detectable, measurable, and countable data concerning CO2 emission, regarding methane emissions, in accordance with industry practice, we can only rely on estimations and data communicated by the producers of the equipment. Besides, while CO2 emissions can be connected to well identifiable points (gas turbine-driven compressors, firing units), methane emission is less easy to identify, and has a diverse character. According to our previous measurements, a significant part of normal methane emissions can be connected to surface technology, more precisely, to station and junction system elements; nearly 400 of these technological objects can be located on the system of FGSZ, all around the country.

Since there is a major difference between possibilities and practices in measuring, supervising, technology, and reduction of CO2 and methane emission, methane emitters face a serious technological and R&D challenge to meet the ever more burning challenges of methane emission reduction. Hence, FGSZ, as a step to answer these challenges, founded a HUF 869 million  worth project in consortium with the University of Miskolc, entitled „Methane emissions monitoring at delivery stations and junctions, operational and technological developments”, for which the beneficiaries received a HUF 518 182 309  non-refundable support. The aim of the project, on the one hand, is to establish a measuring and monitoring prototype system at Kistokaj junction, which records the amount of methane emission of technological elements in a traceable way. The other significant goal of the project is to define the present amount of emission arising from technological operations of FGSZ, then – together with the University of Miskolc – make suggestions for introducing new procedures.

Planned timeline of the project: 21st March 2025