Project Astra
Advancing Next Generation Methane Innovation


google earth photo of fields in Odessa Texas

A first-of-its-kind network of sensors that will monitor emissions across an oil and gas production region with multiple operators may soon revolutionize the way methane leaks are detected. A new partnership led by The University of Texas at Austin and bringing together Chevron, the Environmental Defense Fund, ExxonMobil, GTI and Pioneer Natural Resources Company, aims to demonstrate a novel approach to measuring methane emissions from oil and gas production sites, using advanced technologies to help minimize releases into the atmosphere. The collaboration, named Project ASTRA, will establish a sensor network that will leverage advances in methane-sensing technologies, data sharing and data analytics to provide near continuous monitoring. It will allow producers to find and fix significant methane releases at or below the cost of current monitoring technologies, most of which measure emissions only on an annual or semi-annual basis.