ExxonMobil announces ambition for net zero GHG emissions by 2050
ExxonMobil announced its ambition to achieve net zero GHG emissions for operated assets by 2050, backed by a comprehensive approach to develop detailed emission-reduction roadmaps for major facilities and assets.
The net-zero ambition is contained in the company’s Advancing Climate Solutions - 2022 Progress Report, formerly known as the Energy & Carbon Summary. The net-zero aspiration applies to Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions and builds on ExxonMobil’s 2030 emission-reduction plans, which include net-zero emissions for Permian Basin operations and ongoing investments in lower-emission solutions in which it has extensive experience, including CCS, hydrogen and biofuels.
“ExxonMobil is committed to playing a leading role in the energy transition, and Advancing Climate Solutions articulates our deliberate approach to helping society reach a lower-emissions future,” said Darren Woods, chairman and chief executive officer. “We are developing comprehensive roadmaps to reduce GHG emissions from our operated assets around the world, and where we are not the operator, we are working with our partners to achieve similar emission-reduction results.”
The report provides details of how ExxonMobil’s business strategy is resilient when tested against a range of Paris-aligned net-zero scenarios, including the United Nations intergovernmental panel on climate change’s 2018 special report and the International Energy Agency’s net zero by 2050 scenario.
ExxonMobil’s Outlook for Energy, which is based on current policy and technology trends, continues to be the basis for the company’s business plans and investment decisions. In the Advancing Climate Solutions report, the company outlines how its short- and medium-term business plans are adjustable to developments in policy and technology and how it uses signposts and leading indicators to evaluate the need for any changes in future years.
Sound government policies will accelerate the deployment of key technologies at the pace and scale required to support a net-zero future. ExxonMobil continues to support an explicit price on carbon to establish market incentives and encourage investments in lower-emissions technologies.
ExxonMobil is also committed to helping customers reduce their GHG emissions by investing in CCS, hydrogen and biofuels. Bio-based feed and plastic waste streams provide further opportunities for lowering GHG emissions.
“As we invest in these important technologies, we will advocate for well-designed, high-impact policies that can accelerate the deployment of market-based, cost-effective solutions,” said Woods. “We believe our strategy is unique among industry and enables us to succeed across multiple scenarios. We will create shareholder value by adjusting investments between our existing low-cost portfolio and new lower-emission business opportunities to match the pace of the energy transition.”
To help reach net zero for operated assets by 2050, the company has identified more than 150 potential steps and modifications that can be applied to assets in its upstream, downstream and chemical operations.
Initial actions already underway prioritize energy efficiency measures, methane mitigation, equipment upgrades and the elimination of venting and routine flaring. Further high-impact reduction opportunities include power and steam co-generation and electrification of operations, using renewable or lower-emission power. The company expects to finalize detailed roadmaps that address approximately 90% of operations-related GHG emissions by the end of this year, and the remainder will be completed in 2023.
Initial steps to achieve net zero by 2050 are included in the company’s plans to invest more than $15 B by 2027 on lower-emission initiatives. Policies further accelerating the development and deployment of lower-emission technologies could provide ExxonMobil with additional investment opportunities.
The Advancing Climate Solutions - 2022 Progress Report expands on the company’s 2030 GHG emission-reduction plans, which are consistent with Paris-aligned pathways, the U.S. and European Union’s Global Methane Pledge and the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan. Compared to emission levels in 2016, the time of the Paris Agreement, the 2030 plans include a 20-30% reduction in corporate-wide GHG intensity, which includes 40-50% reduction in upstream GHG intensity, 70-80% reduction in corporate-wide methane intensity, and 60-70% reduction in corporate-wide flaring intensity.
The 2030 emission-reduction plans are expected to achieve World Bank Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 and reduce absolute GHG emissions by an estimated 30% for the company’s upstream business and 20% for the entire corporation. Similarly, absolute flaring and methane emissions are expected to decrease by 60% and 70%, respectively by 2030.
ExxonMobil has regularly updated emission-reduction plans as technologies and policies have evolved and will continue to do so. When final data is collected and analyzed, the company expects to report it achieved its 2025 emission-reduction plans as of year-end 2021, including a 15-20% reduction in GHG intensity for its upstream operations, compared to 2016 levels.
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