U.S. Energy Department Announces $162 Million Loan Guarantee to LongPath Technologies’ Methane Monitoring Project

The U.S. Energy Department on Oct. 23 announced the closing of a $162.4 million loan guarantee to LongPath Technologies Inc. to support the installation of over 1,000 remote monitoring towers as part of a real-time methane emissions monitoring network.

LongPath’s Active Emissions Overwatch System project intends to install large area remote methane monitors to help with emissions recognition, location and measuring capabilities for oil and gas sites across a number of U.S. states. The network will span all major U.S. oil and gas production regions, including locations in California, Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wyoming.

The funding will be made through the Loans Program Office and will assist LongPath in the deployment and installation of around 24,000 square miles of monitoring coverage. The network is projected to avert methane emissions by allowing users to identify and react to methane leaks swiftly and as a result prevent methane emissions equivalent to around six million metric tons of carbon dioxide yearly.

During 2023, the Biden administration undertook over 100 activities as part of the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan, including the distribution of $350 million in funding under the Methane Emissions Reduction Program. Methane emissions can occur when there are leaks during gas and oil production and compression, which are hard to recognize across large production areas. As it stands, monitoring of methane emissions is done through flyovers or utilizing systems such as optical gas imaging cameras, which are inefficient since they can leave significant gaps in monitoring over a period of time and space.

LongPath’s technology offers continuous detection, localization, and measurement of methane emissions with greater speed and sensitivity than conventional methods, enabling operators to address leaks earlier and more frequently. The LongPath project could lower greenhouse gas emissions leaks by around 90 percent compared to existing optical gas imaging cameras.