The Rockies Express (REX) natural gas pipeline will dedicate a portion of its capacity to transporting gas that meets lower-emissions requirements from the Appalachia to markets in the midcontinent.
The move comes as REX operator Tallgrass Energy enters a multi-year partnership with Project Canary, a third-party certification company that uses emissions detection technology and environmental monitoring to affirm gas producing sites have met certain environmental, social and corporate governance standards.
Producers such as Chesapeake Energy and EQT have recently turned to third-party certification to validate their produced gas is meeting certain reduced emissions levels.
"This first of its kind engagement underscores the critical importance of natural gas transmission systems in the energy transition," Tallgrass president Matthew Sheehy said. "Customers want assurances that natural gas is produced responsibly and being transported via low emissions pipeline systems."
Under the partnership, REX aims to become the first interstate gas transmission pipeline in the US to receive comprehensive and independent environmental assessment and certification from Project Canary. The pipeline will implement "real-time" emissions detection and monitoring across its 22 compressor station sites. The Project Canary Midstream Certification process is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year and be completed by mid-2022.
REX is a 4.4 Bcf/d (125mn m³/d) bidirectional pipeline that allows access to markets in the midcontinent and moves gas produced in the Appalachian and Rockies regions. The pipeline spans more than 1,700 miles.
