Managing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the expectations of our stakeholders regarding environmental stewardship is vital to our long-term success. ONEOK has identified GHG emissions as an important area of focus, and we continuously look for opportunities to reduce emissions through strategic programs and initiatives. Some emission reduction opportunities include:
- The further electrification of certain natural gas compression assets.
- Implementing additional methane emission mitigation through best management practices. Examples include methane leak detection and repair, equipment and engineering controls to reduce methane from blowdowns and compressor venting and the replacement of certain natural gas driven pneumatic devices.
- System optimizations such as increasing the utilization of our most efficient assets.
- Collaborating with utility providers to increase the availability of lower-carbon power options.
In September 2021, ONEOK announced a companywide GHG emissions reduction target. ONEOK is targeting a 2.2 million metric ton (MMT) reduction of our combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030. The target represents a 30% reduction in combined operational Scope 1 and location-based Scope 2 GHG emissions attributable to ONEOK assets in 2019.
As of year end 2022, we had achieved reductions totaling approximately 0.5 MMT, or approximately 20% toward our targeted 2.2 MMT of carbon dioxide equivalents. Reductions to date are primarily the result of methane emissions mitigation, system optimizations, electrification of certain natural gas compression equipment and lower carbon-based electricity in states where we operate.