PETRONAS is stepping up regional efforts to tackle methane emissions.

 

This, by joining forces with Japan’s energy security agency, JGC Corporation and TotalEnergies to establish and operationalise the Southeast Asia Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Centre (SEA METEC) Collaboration Group.

 

The partnership, formalised through a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) signed in conjunction with Gastech 2026 in Bangkok, will strengthen methane emissions measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification (MMRV), while building technical capabilities and evaluating emissions-management technologies suited to Southeast Asia’s operating conditions.

 

The collaboration brings together PETRONAS, the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), JGC Corporation and TotalEnergies.

 

Under the agreement, Institut Teknologi Petroleum PETRONAS (INSTEP) and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) will own and operate SEA METEC facilities and deliver training programmes. 

 

JOGMEC, JGC Corporation through Japan METEC, and TotalEnergies’ Anomaly Detection Initiatives will contribute technical expertise, promote global best practices and support solutions aligned with Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0 Level 4 and Level 5 reporting requirements.

 

The MoC was signed by PETRONAS Vice President and Group Chief Sustainability Officer Charlotte Wolff-Bye, JGC Corporation Representative Director and President Shoji Yamada, JOGMEC Executive Vice President Hiroyuki Mori, and TotalEnergies EP Sarawak Inc Managing Director Jerome Saniez.

 

The signing was witnessed by PETRONAS President and Group Chief Executive Officer Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik, PETRONAS Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Gas & Maritime Business Datuk Adif Zulkifli, and TotalEnergies President of Gas, Renewables & Power Stéphane Michel.

 

Wolff-Bye said SEA METEC would provide a strategic platform for industry, technology and research partners to strengthen regional capabilities and assess methane-management technologies under Southeast Asian operating conditions.

 

“This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to advancing credible methane emissions management by enhancing our collective ability to measure, monitor and manage emissions across the energy value chain. By bringing together global expertise and regional capabilities, we can accelerate the adoption of practical and effective solutions that support the region's lower-carbon energy transition,” she said.

 

SEA METEC is a key deliverable under the ASEAN Energy Sector Methane Leadership Programme (MLP), which has entered its third phase, MLP 3.0.

 

Billed as the first centre of its kind in Southeast Asia, the facility will support regional efforts in methane emissions MMRV, technology research and development, and industry capability building.