Explicit ApS, Danish greentech scaleup and pioneer in the use of drone technology to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, has secured a multi-million EUR contract to survey methane emissions from all Norwegian assets on behalf of Equinor Energy ASA in 2025. The contract includes survey of 39 offshore platforms located on the Norwegian continental shelf and 3 onshore facilities.
“This contract is a milestone for us. Equinor is committed to mitigating the effects of methane emissions and the use of innovative technologies such as drones to document emissions. We look forward to working with their team on this year’s methane survey”
Expanding local presence with offices in Norway
With the demand for aerial methane surveys on the rise globally, Explicit is ramping up to meet client needs. In support of the new contract and other projects, Explicit is opening new offices in Norway in addition to its presence in Denmark (HQ), Germany and Australia.
“It’s important for us to be physically present in our primary locations of operation. We will welcome a new dedicated local team to oversee our services in Norway shortly,”
Applying innovative method for methane quantification
This year’s survey is part of Equinor’s commitment to methane reporting under the UN Oil Gas Methane Partnership 2.0. The project will deploy Explicit’s ISO accredited Drone Flux Measurement (DFM) Method – an innovative technique patented by Explicit that uses ‘sniffer drones’ to quantify fugitive methane from whole sites. The scope includes both site level measurements of methane emissions as well as measurement of Destruction Removal Efficiency (DRE) of the flares. Drone pilot operations will be done in collaboration with UK-based Cyberhawk Innovations Ltd.
The main challenge when surveying fugitive methane is to reliably quantify the emissions rate from the full site – how much methane does the site release to the atmosphere at any given time and what sources emit the most? If we can quantify the volume, we can start to understand the reduction potential and help operators work strategically to lower emissions. Sniffer drones is a super effective way of measuring these emissions, particularly offshore where surveys must be done over water. We’ve been deploying drones for gas sensing for more than 10 years and we continue to seek new ways in which we can use the technology to make a difference in how emissions are monitored. This is a large and important project for the reduction of methane in general and an important step in the continued international growth of our business.”
