Eni Iraq recently hosted a delegation of representatives of its key stakeholders in the country at its headquarters in Basra (Iraq), for a knowledge-sharing initiative on methane emissions monitoring and mitigation techniques.
The delegation included representatives from the Iraqi Ministry of Petroleum, representatives from the Iraqi Ministry of the Environment, and the national oil companies (NOCs). The group was led by a delegation from the Clean Air Task Force (CATF). The initiative in line with the Country efforts to reduce emissions which led to the signing of the Global Methane Pledge in 2021 (with the commitment to reduce them by 30% by 2030).
In this context, Eni Iraq is supporting the main local partners to strengthen this commitment, also in light of Eni's membership in the Oil & Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP 2.0), the United Nations environmental program focused on reporting and mitigating methane emissions in the Oil & Gas sector launched by UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) and CCAC (Climate and Clean Air Coalition).
The knowledge-sharing day included a practical session at the Zubair Initial Production Facility (IPF), using an Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) camera and illustrating the monitoring, collection, recording, and organization phases of detected emissions data. A theoretical session was also held at Eni Iraq's Life Support Camp, which provided a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of infrared sensors (OGI) for a better understanding of the monitoring techniques associated with production processes, with reference to leak detection.
The practical demonstration, conducted with an OGI camera by properly trained local personnel, has confirmed the added value of transferring skills to young Iraqi professionals who, on behalf of local NOCs, are building knowledge for the implementation of such monitoring activities.
Eni Iraq, lead contractor for Basrah Oil Co. (BOC) at the Zubair field in Iraq, is pursuing, in collaboration with the Iraqi national company, partners, and local authorities, a program to significantly reduce GHG emissions, with a particular focus on methane and flaring.
The cornerstones of this important achievement, achieved in a particularly challenging context, are the achievement of the "Zero Routine Flaring @2027 for Zubair Field" target and the implementation of the project to reduce fugitive methane emissions through the LDAR (Leak Detection and Repair) Campaign, launched between 2022 and 2024 and now an integral part of Zubair's operations. In particular, in 2025 the implementation of the campaign led to a 40% reduction in fugitive emissions compared to the previous year (41.7 Ktons CO2eq in 2024 vs 24.9 Ktons CO2eq in 2025).
Zubair Field was the first field in Iraq to consistently carry out the LDAR campaign, which has become one of the steps of the OGMP 2.0 program. This activity has attracted the interest of international organizations in the country, including the Clean Air Task Force (CATF), which, together with CCAC, is supporting the Iraqi Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Oil in developing LDAR guidelines.
Source: Eni
