Each year, Atmos Energy celebrates Earth Day alongside the 1,400 communities we serve. This story is part of a continuing series being published all week about the ways that our comprehensive environmental strategy is focused on reducing Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and other environmental impacts from our operations, fleet, facilities, gas supply, and customer end-use.

Did you know that emissions from the nation’s natural gas distribution system have declined 70 percent since 1990, and local distribution systems release as little as 0.1 percent of the natural gas they deliver? These data points help underscore the importance of Atmos Energy’s continuous system modernization efforts, which improve the safety and reliability of our infrastructure, reduce methane emissions, and improve our customer service and efficiency.  

Including investments in new technology, Atmos Energy allocates over 80 percent of its capital spending to enhance the safety and reliability of its distribution and transportation systems, delivering efficient and affordable energy to its customers and communities. These efforts include pipe replacement programs and leak repair prioritization, which further contribute to the company’s commitment to protect and preserve the environment. We use a risk-based prioritization model that considers factors like the pipe’s age, location, material, leak history, environmental factors, and more to determine the replacement schedule. This modernization is instrumental in reaching our goal to reduce methane emissions from its natural gas distribution system mains and services by 50 percent from 2017 to 2035, and to date we have achieved an approximate 20 percent reduction. 

For leak detection, monitoring, and leak repair prioritization, our team applies innovative and state-of-the-art technology to enhance safety and protect the environment. We regularly review technological advances as they are brought to market and determine if they will provide increased value to our leak detection and monitoring efforts. One example is our advanced mobile leak detection (AMLD) technology which uses cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) that is 1,000 times more sensitive than legacy technologies. Atmos Energy operates 12 AMLD units in our Texas and Louisiana divisions, with new units added in Colorado, Mississippi, and Tennessee over the past couple years. 

To monitor storage and compression facilities, Atmos Energy uses a variety of fixed and portable cameras and equipment to conduct inspections. In 2022, we completed the installation of gas cloud imaging (GCI) cameras at all APT facilities. The GCI camera pans and zooms to all areas of the site, providing uninterrupted coverage. At our Lake Dallas facility, we piloted ultrasonic gas leak detection (UGLD) technology that utilizes ultra-sensitive acoustic sensors to continuously monitor areas for ultrasound generated from the release of pressurized gas, and we installed forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras at our wellheads to continuously monitor for leaks. These technologies provide immediate leak warnings, enabling a rapid response and providing both safety and environmental benefits. In 2022 we began a multi-year process to install similar detection and monitoring systems at our other storage and compression facilities. 

Other areas of our operations that reduce environmental impact are in recompression techniques and our use of pneumatic devices. Since 2022 we have reduced venting associated with pipeline maintenance activities by using gas control and recompression technologies, which capture and transport natural gas into another pipeline. In the first year alone, these practices enabled 67 projects to achieve 90 percent savings by capturing about 294 million cubic feet of gas, which is equivalent to saving 132,000 metric tons of CO2e when compared to traditional venting. Additionally, the pneumatic devices we use in distribution, transmission, storage, and compression operations are designed to vent either intermittently or continuously, and continuous high-bleed devices are the greatest contributor to pneumatic device emissions. To minimize these emissions, we committed to using bleed-free or low-bleed devices on all new and replacement natural gas pneumatic devices, unless a safety or functional need requires otherwise.  

To learn more about Atmos Energy’s comprehensive environmental strategy and the ways it supports a lower carbon future, please review our Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report at https://www.atmosenergy.com/sustainability/environmental-and-operational-sustainability.