Satelytics, a US-based geospatial analytics software startup, will receive $5 million from BP Ventures to develop its methane-detection technology and then scale its applications across the oil and gas sector.
Satelytics uses machine learning and high-resolution spectral imagery gathered from satellites, drones, planes, and fixed cameras to monitor environmental changes. Data can be gathered on an up-to-daily basis, and results are sent to customers within hours.
These images are combined with algorithms to create electromagnetic signatures that are used to detect emissions—along with their location, magnitude, and nature of the event.
The data sets are shown on interactive screens to alert customers of risks to existing facilities as well as predict threats to geographically dispersed infrastructure and assets.
As part of BP’s ambition to become a net-zero company by 2050, Chief Operating Officer David Hayes said it aims to measure methane at all major oil and gas processing sites by 2023 and reduce the methane intensity of its operations by 50%.
“Advanced technologies such as Satelytics, integrating multiple approaches to efficiently detect emissions, have the potential to be a valuable tool that can support this work,” Hayes said.