With satellite-powered AI, Momentick is transforming how industries track and mitigate methane leaks—offering a critical solution to one of the most potent greenhouse gas challenges. CEO Daniel Kashmir explains the urgency, the technology, and what’s next in emissions intelligence in an exclusive interview, here is the excerpt:-
Your recent report revealed that 17% of analyzed sites emitted methane, with a total CO₂-equivalent impact of 899 million tons. Why do you think methane leaks remain so pervasive, despite increasing awareness and regulations?
Methane (the dominant component in natural gas) is an invisible and odorless gas, allowing emissions and leaks to remain undetected for extended periods, leading to global warming, significant revenue loss, and exposure to regulatory fines. Methane is 84x more potent in trapping heat, contributing to approximately 21% of total GHG emissions. As an example, between January 2021 and April 2024, Momentick identified 108 methane leaks in Turkmenistan. The leaks were from 6 out of 8* assets on various dates. Momentick has monitored Turkmenistan periodically compared to the rest of the world, and has found that the methane emissions in Turkmenistan are the highest per km worldwide and there is a huge impact to be achieved through continuous monitoring of emissions.
Another example from the United States: Momentick identified numerous methane leaks in the county of Midland, Texas over the past four years: out of the 30 assets, Momentick detected 50 methane plumes emanating from 16 unique facilities* (more than half). Chosen facilities included wells, metering stations, pipelines, and compressor stations owned by multiple operators. All of the detected plumes are considered Super Emitters according to the EPA, with most exuding over 4500 Kg/hr and five over 10,000 Kg/hr. Most emissions originate from wellheads.
Where does India and China stands when it comes to methane emissions
India is the third-biggest emitter of methane worldwide. As a country that imports their energy from external sources, every leak poses an energy security threat. In our case study of methane leaks in India, we have found major leaks from storage facilities. Interestingly enough, 66% of the leaks can be fixed at no cost: meaning the cost of the methane preserved will be greater than the cost to fix the leak.
Oil and gas is the third-largest source of methane emissions in India, behind agriculture and waste. As mentioned, 66% of emissions can be fixed without cost. Because India is so vast, and the pipeline system is so extensive, drones or manual inspections of the infrastructures will be very costly and ineffective. Momentick uses satellites to detect methane emissions, which is a solution much more suitable for India’s size. We haven’t conducted any monitoring campaigns in China thus far.
Satellite technology is revolutionizing emissions tracking. How does Momentick’s AI-powered detection system ensure accuracy, especially in distinguishing natural methane emissions from industrial leaks?
Founded in 2020, Momentick delivers accurate and autonomous capabilities for identifying and quantifying methane and other GHG emissions on a planetary scale. Our comprehensive emissions intelligence platform enables scalable monitoring, reporting, and verification. By leveraging proprietary algorithms on diverse satellite imagery, the platform provides point-source monitoring for specific facilities and large area monitoring encompassing a wide geographical area or entire pipeline networks.
How do your algorithms prioritize detected leaks? Do you work with regulatory bodies to ensure enforcement, or is it solely up to industry players to act?
We believe that if you can’t measure emissions, you can’t reduce them. A report by the EDF highlights the impact of monitoring frequency on emissions reduction: annual monitoring results in a 40% reduction, quarterly monitoring in a 60% reduction, and monthly monitoring in an 80% reduction. This report, released a decade ago (!), revealed a critical truth: more frequent detection of methane leaks significantly reduces emissions. Despite this knowledge, a recent 2024 report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that natural gas emissions have steadily risen over the past decade.
Momentick’s mission is to provide a one-stop-shop emissions intelligence platform for various stakeholders in order to save product loss, improve safety and operational efficiency, while demonstrating social responsibility and achieving their sustainability goals. The energy sector presents the largest and cheapest opportunity for methane emissions reduction:
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that over 75% of the methane emissions in the Oil & Gas sector could be reduced today using existing technologies.
Have you observed any industries or companies that are particularly proactive in reducing methane leaks? Conversely, have any major polluters ignored or disputed your findings?
The oil and gas industry is very eager to find methane emissions, as it has a positive ROI: if they can capture the methane, instead of it being leaked and wasted to the atmosphere, they can sell that and make a profit. It is a win-win situation for the industry and for the world.
In your view, is voluntary industry action enough, or do we need stricter regulations and enforcement to curb methane emissions?
The surge in demand for Momentick’s services stems from evolving regulations mandating more stringent GHG emission monitoring, including increased and more detailed reporting frequency, prompting the adoption of advanced satellite technology for frequent inspections of gas assets including pipelines, and robust emissions performance verification by operators.
With COP summits and international climate agreements emphasizing methane reduction, how aligned are global policies with the realities your data reveals?
The Global Methane Pledge aims for a 30% reduction in methane emissions by 2030, which alone could mitigate 0.2 degrees of warming by 2050.
Given the short of methane in the atmosphere, do you see this as a “quick win” in the fight against climate change, or are we already running out of time?
Unlike CO₂, methane emission reductions have an almost immediate effect on slowing global warming. This is because methane has a relatively short atmospheric lifespan – about 20 years – compared to CO2, which remains in the atmosphere for centuries. By urgently tackling methane emissions, we could slow down the rate of warming by as much as 30% before mid-century and dramatically limit the short-term impacts of climate change. This is widely recognized as the low hanging fruit in addressing global warming.
What’s next for Momentick? Any upcoming advancements in your emissions intelligence platform that could further revolutionize methane tracking?
Next for us is working with the financial sector: Momentick addresses the challenges of emissions-related risks for energy companies while offering new tools for monitoring emissions and evaluating the risks associated with them. In conjunction with a major global insurance company, Momentick is proud to announce the first Emissions Risk Management service, globally. This marks a historic milestone in addressing climate change risks and reshaping the insurance landscape for energy companies.
Through Momentick’s satellite-based emissions monitoring technology, which provides real-time data for risk analysis and policy design, Momentick will introduce a distinctive insurance framework, assessing energy companies based on their emissions risk.
This pioneering approach addresses a critical gap in the emissions landscape—reliable, comprehensive data for risk assessment. With insufficient ground-level data, Momentick’s cutting-edge satellite-based emissions monitoring technology ensures global coverage and precision in policy underwriting. Momentick provides critical data that enables the development of improved greenhouse gas detection services and insurance products. By detecting methane and other greenhouse gasses on a global scale, this service allows companies to better understand their emissions profile and take proactive steps to mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions.