More than 50,000 individual methane leaks have been identified, measured and repaired in Uzbekistan in the past one and a half years, resulting in a reduction of over 7 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year.
This was one of the results of a joint project between Uzbekistan’s national gas distribution company, Hududgazta’minot, and GasGreen Asia, a subsidiary of Maryland-based Climate Compass, the US embassy in Tashkent said in a press release.
The project, which began in March 2023, focuses on detecting and repairing natural gas leaks within Uzbekistan’s above-ground national gas distribution system, contributing to Uzbekistan’s green economy transition and its commitments under the Global Methane Pledge.
The project has also created more than 200 local jobs, including engineers, data specialists and project managers, who received intensive training from American technical experts.
The repairs have generated tens of millions of dollars in savings for Hududgazta’minot by preventing gas losses, while also contributing to significant environmental benefits, according to the US embassy.
“The United States welcomes Uzbekistan’s commitment to a broad-based transition to a green economy. This project supports Uzbekistan’s efforts to attract foreign direct investment while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” US ambassador Jonathan Henick noted.
Uzbekistan joined the Global Methane Pledge in 2022, an initiative aimed at reducing methane emissions worldwide. Methane reduction is a critical component of Uzbekistan’s efforts to meet its nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement on climate change.
According to the United Nations Environment Program, methane emissions have accounted for approximately 30% of global warming and are an increasingly growing challenge.
Climate Compass, based in Bethesda, Maryland, is a world leader in providing logistical and technical services for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction projects. Climate Compass specializes in finding and repairing methane leaks in natural gas infrastructure through its advanced Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programs.
GasGreen Asia, a special purpose vehicle wholly owned and operated by Climate Compass, signed a contract with Hududgazta’minot in March 2023 to implement the LDAR program. The project is fully funded by the future generation and sales of carbon emission reduction credits resulting from the project.
