Archives: Press Release

AUSTIN, October 16, 2023 — In a recent acknowledgment of innovative leaders driving the energy sector forward, Oil and Gas Investor Magazine has unveiled its “40 Under 40” list for 2023. Making a notable appearance on this esteemed list is Brendan Smith, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of SeekOps.

“I’m elated to celebrate Brendan’s well-deserved recognition,” says Iain Cooper, CEO of SeekOps. “His journey from the University of California Merced, through the Jet Propulsion laboratory in California, to our current headquarters in Austin, is a testament to his dedication and vision. Most significantly, the technology Brendan and his team have pioneered is now being employed across all major continents, enabling businesses globally to address, abate emissions, and streamline their path to net-zero goals.”

Brendan expressed his gratitude, stating, “I am deeply honored to be part of this distinguished group. My journey has been possible thanks to the unwavering support from loved ones, the SeekOps team, our investors, and our customers.”

In his feature, the magazine shines a spotlight on Brendan Smith’s ambitious career trajectory, which led him from working on cutting-edge methane emissions measurement technology at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to co-founding SeekOps. The interview delves into Brendan’s leadership philosophies, his views on the energy sector, and some personal insights, including his aspirations to deploy SeekOps’ sensor technology in Antarctica.

For more in-depth insights from Brendan Smith, including his mentorship experiences, career advice, and perspectives on the oil and gas industry, visit https://www.hartenergy.com/exclusives/hart-energy-announces-2023-forty-under-40-honorees-206801.

SeekOps deploys its industry-leading SeekIR® sensors with enterprise-grade drones, providing state-of-the-art methane Leak Detection and Quantification (LDAQ®) systems. Our solutions are rooted in automated workflows that are both consistent and cost-effective, driving the future of emissions monitoring. For more information, please visit www.seekops.com.

MERCED, Calif. – UC Merced is pleased to announce that it has received a generous gift of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipment from SeekOps Inc, a start-up company in the methane emissions management space. The equipment will be used to support UC Merced’s research efforts in environmental monitoring and conservation.

The gift from SeekOps Inc includes a number of state-of-the-art UAVs, as well as the necessary software and hardware to operate and maintain the equipment.

“We are incredibly grateful to Seek Ops Inc for their generous gift,” said Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz. “The equipment will greatly enhance our research capabilities in environmental monitoring and conservation, and will enable our researchers to better understand and address the challenges facing our planet.”

SeekOps Inc is a rapidly growing start-up company that specializes in applied methane detection and quantification technology. The company’s mission is to provide accurate, reliable, and cost-effective solutions for methane monitoring and mitigation in the energy industry, including traditional oil & gas and renewable natural gas production (e.g., dairy biodigesters, landfills, etc.).

“We are thrilled to support the important work being done by UC Merced researchers,” said Brendan Smith, CTO of SeekOps Inc. and UC Merced Alumni. “We believe that our technology has the potential to make a real difference in the fight against climate change, and we are proud to partner with UC Merced in this important effort.”

The gift from SeekOps Inc is part of a larger effort by the company to support research and innovation in the environmental sciences. SeekOps Inc is committed to advancing the science of methane management, and to working collaboratively with partners across academia, government, and industry to address the urgent challenges posed by climate change.

About UC Merced

UC Merced, the newest campus in the University of California system, opened its doors in 2005 with the mission of providing a world-class education to students from California’s San Joaquin Valley and beyond. Located in the heart of California’s Central Valley, UC Merced is dedicated to research and teaching that advances the fields of science, engineering, humanities, social sciences, and the arts.

About SeekOps 

SeekOps deploys its industry-leading SeekIR^® sensors with enterprise-grade drones to provide field-proven measurement systems for methane Leak Detection and Quantification (LDAQ^®), through repeatable, consistent and cost-effective automated workflows. For more information, please visit www.seekops.com.

See the full press release here.

JGC Holdings Corporation has announced that the JGC Group joined the Aiming for Zero methane emissions initiative on February 14 of this year. As a project of the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI, an international organization leading oil and natural gas industry responses to climate change), Aiming for Zero is focused on reducing methane emissions from the industry. The JGC Group is the first Japanese participant in the initiative.

Developments in methane emission reduction

A common greenhouse gas (GHG), methane has a greenhouse effect 28-84 times greater than that of CO₂. Reducing these emissions would have a significant impact in efforts to curb global warming, which is why global efforts to reduce methane emissions are accelerating.

OGCI is a CEO-led initiative of 12 companies (including Aramco, ExxonMobil and Shell) that has spearheaded a variety of climate change activities in the oil and natural gas industry since January 2014. This particular project, launched in March 2022, aims for zero methane emissions from the oil and natural gas industry by 2030. Among the members are more than 40 European and American companies that provide solutions for methane measurement, reporting, verification (MRV), and reduction, who are taking proactive measures to eliminate emissions.

Background and goals of JGC participation

In addition to supporting the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) in establishing guidelines for calculating GHGs linked to LNG, hydrogen, and ammonia production, JGC Holdings has conducted GHG emission measurements at an ammonia production site in Indonesia and worked to develop MRV systems and improve techniques. Our participation in Aiming for Zero builds on such activities to date. Ongoing concerted efforts by JGC Holdings, including this initiative to reduce industrial methane emissions, reflect our belief that this reduction is a key step on the path toward decarbonization, and we will be accelerating efforts aimed at carbon neutrality by 2050.

In addition, the Japanese government’s policy to clean up the liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply chain, in particular, has been discussed at the “LNG Producer-Consumer Conference ” held by the Japanese government, and our efforts are in line with such policies of the Japanese government.

New JGC activities to reduce methane emissions

At the JGC R&D Center in Oarai, Ibaraki, JGC Holdings has also recently constructed a facility for evaluating methane emission measurement techniques. Domestic and overseas measurement equipment manufacturers can evaluate detection capabilities and develop technology for methane emission measurement, a field that is taking shape around the world. This broad collaboration will enable improved measurement capabilities and a more effective response to methane emissions.

With JOGMEC support, JGC invited five domestic and foreign companies possessing detection technologies to the facility in mid-February to test methane emission measurement. Specifically, in addition to Konica Minolta^※1 and All Nippon Airways^※2, U.S.-based SeekOps^※3 and Europe-based The Sniffers^※4 and Aeromon^※5 conducted technical evaluations of their methane measurement. Results will be compiled by the end of March, yielding insight on usefulness and accuracy.

Read the full press release here

Austin, TX, United States – Hayes, United Kingdom:  Sky-Futures, an ICR company, one of the world’s leading drone inspection and survey providers, has signed a global service delivery partnership with SeekOps Inc to provide methane detection, localisation, and quantification services to customers around the world.

With a global footprint in 9 countries and operations in over 33 countries to date, Sky-Futures will deliver a SeekOps-certified service to customers both onshore and offshore. The partnership will enable SeekOps to rapidly scale the delivery of its methane emissions detection services globally to customers across multiple sectors, including the oil and gas and biogas industries.

Established as best-in-class for methane detection and quantification, the drone-mounted SeekIR^® sensor enables cost-effective comprehensive emissions inspection in a fraction of the time required by traditional ground surveys, resulting in significant cost savings for operators.

Working together, Sky-Futures and SeekOps will provide customers with an end-to-end service including data capture, data analysis and reporting. The SeekOps drone-based sensors operate in concert with their custom data analytics software, to rapidly localise point source emissions and quantify emissions rates.

Iain Cooper, CEO of SeekOps said, “The world is changing fast and there is an increasing market demand for dependable leak detection technologies. SeekOps provides technologies that can be used to detect, locate, and quantify leaks, and the technology is highly accurate, lightweight, and field-proven.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Sky-Futures, to bring our highly-effective leak detection and quantification abilities into the global marketplace. This partnership enables us to provide rapid, robust, reliable and repeatable quality solutions to our customers’ emissions needs anywhere in the world and in all aspects of oil and gas – upstream, midstream and downstream, as well as to the nascent but rapidly expanding biogas and landfill monitoring markets”.

Sky-Futures delivers a range of services across multiple sectors with significant experience in the onshore and offshore oil and gas market. This experience is a fundamental piece of the partnership between the Sky-Futures and SeekOps and will support the rapid roll out of the technology and service to customers around the world.

Chris Blackford, CEO of Sky-Futures said: “As a company with significant experience using drone technology to provide survey and inspection services to the oil and gas industry, we are always looking to partner with companies providing new, innovative and value adding technology. SeekOps tick all these boxes and more. Their drone-based fugitive emission detection technology is class-leading and meets a need that is ever more important in a world where emission monitoring is becoming more regulated.”

About Sky-Futures 

Sky-Futures (an ICR Integrity company) provides drone-based inspection and survey services to the industrial markets. With 10 years of experience in over 33 countries, we are one of the leading drone-based inspection and survey service providers globally. We support a range of industrial markets including: oil and gas; engineering; bridges; renewables; solar; utilities; telecoms and more. Our solution is powering drone-based inspections globally and changing the way data is collected, analysed and used to make better inspection and maintenance decisions.

About SeekOps Inc.

SeekOps Inc. provides advanced methane emissions solutions for the energy sector to detect, localize, and quantify methane emissions through integrated drone-based systems.  SeekOps’ unique SeekIR^® sensor design and proprietary algorithms eliminates false positive readings and quantifies emissions sources to provide actionable data to oil and gas and biogas operators globally.  SeekOps provides best-in-class technology to meet increasingly stringent environmental, sustainability and governance (ESG) reporting requirements, and enables producers worldwide realize their goal to reduce methane intensity from operations.

Sky-Futures Nick Beattie Head of Sales Email: nbeattie@sky-futures.com Phone: +44 (0) 207 148 7002 www.sky-futures.com

Flylogix, the full-service unmanned aviation company, has entered into a strategic partnership with SeekOps Inc. for offshore remote methane sensing and data interpretation in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).

The partnership with SeekOps, which manufactures gas detection sensors to localize and quantify emissions – will enable offshore beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) emissions measurement surveys to be conducted safely and cost-effectively. This specific application comes at a time when energy companies are increasingly looking to monitor visit https://www.paydayloansnow.co.uk/loans/500-pound-loan/, assess and reduce emissions to meet regulatory requirements and pursue net-zero. 

The partnership will accelerate Flylogix’s transformation of remote operations and stand-off sensing, already working with companies including BP, Total and Chrysaor. 

Offshore methane emission measurement is extremely challenging, especially in environments such as the North Sea. Flylogix’s and SeekOps are developing a unique approach which is transforming how it is tackled how much do movers cost. Their pioneering use of unmanned aircraft and integrated sensors allows them to fly routinely and deliver an efficient and cost-effective solution with minimal risk and extremely low environmental impact. The enabling technology is the SeekIR gas sensor, manufactured by SeekOps, which provides ultra-sensitive emissions measurements in a custom payload for the Flylogix Fixed-wing aircraft. SeekOps’ data analytics ultimately deliver reliable measurements of emissions from offshore installations.

Recent industry testing proved SeekOps’ methane sensing technology to enable the detection of extremely low emission rates. Detect this work of an extreme quality at https://irishpaving.ie/. Flylogix have successfully integrated their sensor into its FX2 unmanned aircraft, and alongside its in-house developed software, AI and SatComms it delivers a unique solution to remote, stand-off emissions monitoring.

The Oil and Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) is backing the development of this new technology and aligning techniques with the broader UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) community.

Charles Tavner, Executive Chairman at Flylogix, said: 

“This partnership between Flylogix and SeekOps is fantastic news as we continue to pioneer the use of full-service, over-horizon unmanned aviation in support of the energy industry. 

“Integrating SeekOps’ world class methane sensor with our UAVs offers energy companies the opportunity to transform how they conduct emissions monitoring in remote locations and realise significant benefits to cost, safety and the environment.”  

SeekOps Senior Vice President, Andrew Aubrey, said: 

“We recognize the position that Flylogix has secured as a leader in Beyond Visual Line of Sight flight operations offshore in the United Kingdom. SeekOps is excited to expand our applications in partnership with Flylogix to satisfy the needs for offshore emissions measurement using our ultra-sensitive gas sensors and actionable analytics.”

For more information please contact:

Chris Adams, Flylogix Business Development Director, on +44 (0)7779 696 833 or chris.adams@flylogix.com

Andrew Aubrey, SeekOps SVP Strategic Partnerships, on +1 512-852-8102 or aaubrey@seekops.com

Additional Information is available on our websites https://www.flylogix.co.uk/ or www.seekops.com

Follow us on Twitter: @FlylogixUAV and LinkedIn: Flylogix

New CEO brings decades of International Technology Commercialization Experience

September 10, 2020 – Austin, TX: SeekOps Inc. develops and deploys advanced sensor technology for the energy sector to detect, localize, and quantify methane emissions through integrated drone-based systems. SeekOps’ unique sensor design eliminates false positive readings and localizes emissions sources to provide actionable data to oil and gas operators in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. Backed by funding from the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative Climate Investments (OGCI-CI), and Equinor Technology Ventures (ETV), SeekOps provides best-in-class technology to meet increasingly stringent environmental, sustainability and governance (ESG) reporting requirements, and enables producers worldwide realize their goal to reduce methane intensity from operations.

In order to address the expanded global market demand for its products while positioning the company for increased growth, SeekOps has strengthened its leadership team by adding a new Chief Executive Officer to guide it through this critical next step.

SeekOps is pleased to announce Iain Cooper as its new CEO. Iain, who previously led technology development, strategy and investment at Schlumberger, brings 30 years of experience in the energy sector and brings a full cleaning checklist. His experience will not only lead SeekOps through effective international scaling of its technology and services, but also expansion beyond traditional energy-sector business into other major industrial verticals, such as biogas, waste management and mining, monitoring broader range of chemical species.

Iain comments: “SeekOps actionable data products have been demonstrated in rigorous oil and gas environments, and while we will continue global growth to support upstream operations, SeekOps will also translate its capabilities to meet the needs of the midstream and downstream Gustave A. Larson sectors. Furthermore, there are similar environmental and sustainability pressures across other industries that must be validated using accurate and reliable technologies, as typified by SeekOps.”

This move strengthens the current executive team as the company’s Founder and CEO of three and a half years, Andrew Aubrey, transitions to a new role as Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. These strategic partnerships will be a key component of SeekOps’ future growth.