Equinor US gas certified responsibly produced by Equitable Origin
HOUSTON, September 29, 2022 – Equinor has achieved EO100™ Certification from Equitable Origin for the entirety of its operated onshore natural gas production in the Appalachian Basin of Ohio.
This certification is unique to North America and independently confirms Equinor is operating with the highest environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards across the industry.
“Achieving Equitable Origin’s rigorous standards for certification demonstrates our values as a company and our commitment to a just transition towards a net-zero future,” says Chris Golden, senior vice president and US country manager. “We are proud to provide natural gas at a time when affordable, reliable energy is top of mind. But we are even prouder of how we deliver, as a responsible operator committed to sustainable practices toward the environment and society. This is one example of how we’re working to accelerate the US energy transition across our business.”
Soledad Mills, CEO of Equitable Origin said, “We recognize energy companies that operate in accordance with the highest social and environmental standards based on certification to the EO100™ Standard. We are delighted to work alongside Equinor and support them in their long-standing commitment to ESG. Equinor’s exceptional ESG performancewill only get stronger with their commitment to continuous improvement; a requirement of our certification program.”
Equinor received one of the highest grades for an initial assessment among its peers. The Appalachian Basin Operated asset was assessed against the principles of the EO100™ standard, which include corporate governance and ethics; social impacts, human rights and community engagement; Indigenous Peoples' rights; occupational health & safety and fair labor standards; and environmental impacts, biodiversity and climate change.
The independent assessment performed by Houston-based Responsible Energy Solutions covered 242,000 net acres under lease by Equinor, with 27,000 net acres currently operational. The assessment consisted of a thorough examination of Equinor’s documented practices as well as a field assessment and numerous interviews with stakeholders including landowners, regulators, and employees. Wells in various stages – drilling, completions, production, and inactive wells – as well as salt-water disposal wells and associated infrastructure were within the scope.
About Equinor
Equinor is a global energy company committed to providing affordable energy for societies and taking a leading role in the energy transition. Headquartered in Norway, we’re on a journey to net zero emissions through optimizing our oil and gas portfolio, accelerating growth in renewables and pioneering developments in carbon capture and hydrogen. With over 35 years’ history in the US, our world-class portfolio stretches across oil and gas, offshore wind, and low-carbon value chains. Learn more at equinor.com.
Media contact: Ola Morten Aanestad at +47 480 80 212 or oaan@equinor.com.
About Equitable Origin:
Equitable Origin is a non-profit organization that created the first market-based mechanism to recognize and reward responsible energy producers and to empower energy purchasers through independent, site- level certification. The EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy Development is grounded in a set of comprehensive, globally applicable ESG indicators developed with extensive stakeholder input. Certification against the EO100™ Standard promotes best practices and drives improvements in ESG performance while enabling a market for differentiated energy production. To learn more visit energystandards.org.
Media contact: contact@equitableorigin.org.
About Responsible Energy Solutions:
Founded in 2018, Responsible Energy Solutions has been on the leading edge of the development of differentiated natural gas and certification, including advising certification standards organizations; providing technical expertise in development of standards; assessment of voluntary methane management initiatives and advising energy companies across the value chain in development of effective ESG strategies. Our team of advisors has deep experience and substantive expertise in engineering, operations and environmental management for the oil and gas industry. Our mission is to help companies realize value by demonstrating they are truly doing the right things. To learn more, visit res-solutions.net/