Importance of Data Analysis and Advanced Monitoring Technologies for Continuous Improvement in Methane Emissions

Context Corner Edition 15

August 26, 2025

By Hayley Scott, Senior Vice President, Compliance and Reporting

The philosophy of our Radical Transparency effort embraces direct, no-nonsense dialogue with stakeholders regarding our operational experiences.

Lesson Learned: Rapid Response and Root Cause Analysis

When we recently learned some valuable lessons after detecting an unintentional methane release from a water storage vessel at our Mamont compressor station, we wanted to highlight them. These are teachable, learning moments for CNX in our ongoing methane journey (during which we have decreased our methane intensity by 77% and 60% over the last five years in our production and our gathering and boosting segments, respectively).

By transparently sharing our experiences, we aim to provide a “public service announcement” to industry peers and inform our community members of the seriousness with which we address these emissions.

Applying our core value of “Excellence” to our methane intensity program is strongly correlated with fostering a culture and mindset that results in outstanding HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) performance. Low methane intensity likely translates to low safety and environmental risk. We treat any unintentional releases in the same manner as a safety or an environmental incident, working diligently to investigate and determine root causes so we can implement improvements to prevent recurrence. While our values dictate our expectation of zero safety and environmental incidents in our operations, we view these exceptions to our high standards as important opportunities to improve and advance the state of the art at CNX and across the industry.

Through advanced technologies that we deploy during periodic aerial surveys, we recently detected a methane emission event in our Mamont field in Westmoreland County, PA operating area – highlighting the critical role of proactive monitoring in providing information that we can act on quickly.

We immediately deployed our drones and other detection devices to pinpoint a cause for the emission source. Working with our dedicated operational personnel, we determined that after the completion of routine compressor maintenance, a valve had not been returned to its proper setting by the service provider performing the maintenance.

Above: CNX’s Mamont compressor station, located in Washington Township, Westmoreland County, PA.

Leveraging Data and Technology for Methane Management

Our analysis identified a clear signature of related operational data that correlated with the duration of the emissions event. The data provided valuable insights into the timing and nature of the event, allowing us to better understand the circumstances that led to the incident. Armed with this knowledge, we implemented a new control that sends this data to our Real Time Operations Center and triggers a critical alarm if measurements fall outside expected parameters. Along with specific protocols that we have implemented when service work is performed to reduce the potential of unintentional releases, this alarm will significantly reduce the duration of any event that may occur.

Key lessons learned include:

The importance of leveraging in-house operational data for real-time analysis and emission event detection.
The value of advanced monitoring technology.
The reaffirmation that excellence in methane intensity equates to excellence in HSE.
The necessity of ensuring that third-party service providers are fully aligned with the company’s HSE culture.

We remain committed to improving our processes, preventing future emissions events, continuously enhancing our methane intensity program. For questions or concerns, please contact our environmental compliance team at Radicaltransparency@cnx.com.