Xodus develops emissions reduction blueprint for drilling rig operator

Global energy consultancy Xodus Group has conducted a review of greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency for an unnamed drilling rig operator in the Middle East. The operator was presented with a plan to reduce CO2 emissions by 60% through implementation of 25 specific reduction measures.

Xodus Group, a global energy consultancy headquartered in London, used its so-called Digital Emissions Reduction Action Plan to create the guidelines for the drilling rig operator. This tool can rank and prioritize potential actions for cutting back emissions.

Among offices in several other countries, including the United States and Australia, Xodus Group has an office in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The consulting firm has lent energy infrastructure expertise to a wide variety of clients in different sectors, including a division that oversees pipeline development, cables, interconnectors, and subsea infrastructure. Other sectors in which the firm has advised clients include hydrogen, offshore wind, and marine energy.

Cutting emissions has not been as much a priority in the Middle East as it has been in the West, but some countries in the region are starting to adopt sustainability strategies. Part of the appeal in doing so is that it can go hand-in-hand with diversifying oil-dependent economies, a long-time goal for countries in the region.

Saudi Arabia announced in 2021 that it was committed to cutting carbon emissions to ‘net zero’ by 2060. That included a 30% reduction in methane emissions by 2030. The kingdom promised to put $180 billion towards the goal.

That was followed by the United Arab Emirates, which announced in 2022 that it would cut emissions to ‘net zero’ by 2050 as part of a plan to continue diversifying their economy while also conforming to the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius.