Detecting Methane Emissions: TotalEnergies at the Forefront With TADI, the Only Experimental Platform of Its Kind in Europe

02/17/2025

As part of our ambition to reach near-zero methane emissions by 2030, we announced in November 2024 that we had gone a step further in monitoring and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions with the deployment of continuous, real-time detection technologies at all our operated Upstream sites. But these solutions cannot be put into action until they have been tested under real conditions! Our TADI platform meets this objective, not only for our own requirements but also for the needs of academic research and technology suppliers.

Reducing methane emissions: one ambition, one action plan

Some 25% of anthropogenic methane emissions come from the energy sector. TotalEnergies aims to reduce its methane emissions by 80% by 2030 compared to 2020. By 2024, a year ahead of schedule, we had reached our target of reducing our emissions by 50% compared with 2020. The Company is therefore well on the way to achieving its 80% reduction target by 2030.

Our methane action plan is based on three main levers, namely halting routine flaring, stopping venting, and repairing leaks as soon as they are detected. To reach these goals, we are using the best technologies. By the end of 2025, all our operated Upstream sites will be equipped with systems for monitoring and measuring methane emissions, including fixed sensors for continuous monitoring and mobile tools offering greater sensitivity, such as our AUSEA drone-mounted solution or handheld cameras.

TADI, a world-class experimental infrastructure

The announcement of this deployment marks the culmination of the research activities that our R&D teams have been spearheading since 2017. This is the ideal opportunity to take a closer look at the TotalEnergies Anomalies Detection Initiative (TADI), an experimental infrastructure for testing methane leak detection technologies under real-life conditions. After receiving the results of the Company’s research programs, establishing the protocols and qualifying the detection technologies, it is vitally important to test the technologies’ quality and reliability.

Our TADI platform, the only one of its kind in Europe, is located at the Lacq Pilot Platform near Pau in France and enhances the technology development pathway between laboratory testing and industrial-scale on-site deployment. Leveraging the professionalism of our operators, the site is helping provide our Company with deeper insights into these key technologies, so that we can contribute to efforts to mitigate climate change.