SIX major oil companies each contributed tens of millions of US dollars to a grant fund meant to help state-owned rivals cull the release of super-warming methane emissions, but Chevron and ExxonMobil did not join in.

At issue is a Global Flaring and Methane Reduction Partnership that will be run by the World Bank with initially US$255 million earmarked to help developing countries and their oil companies stifle leaks of that potent greenhouse gas. The programme unveiled at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, is a recognition that while large oil companies in the US have spent years working to pare methane releases from wells, pipelines and processing equipment, many national oil companies are only getting started.

The initiative secured US$25 million each from six oil companies: BP, Eni, Equinor, Occidental Petroleum, Shell and TotalEnergies. Some countries also ponied up, with the United Arab Emirates that is hosting COP28 providing US$100 million; the US, US$2 million; Germany, US$1.5 million; and Norway, US$1 million.

Supporters of the initiative had hoped to raise a much higher sum by convincing large oil producers – after years of plugging methane leaks – that unless national oil companies do the same, both the planet’s health and the industry’s reputation are imperilled, sources familiar with the matter said.

Yet some oil giants were reluctant to underwrite a fund seen as effectively providing cash donations to global competitors, one of the sources said.

Representatives for Chevron did not immediately have a comment on the company’s decision to forgo funding. The San Ramon, California-based producer was also a notable absence from a 50-member Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter announced on Saturday (Dec 2), with enrolled companies pledging to cut methane emissions to near-zero and halt flaring of natural gas by the end of the decade.

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ExxonMobil joined that pledge, but so far it has not provided money to the World Bank grant fund. However, it could provide technical support and methane abatement training as part of the initiative.

“We support the goal of the Global Methane Reduction Fund and are in negotiations to provide our technical skills, scale and years of methane detection and mitigation experience to reduce emissions,” the company said.

To access funding from the programme, companies will need to commit to cutting methane intensity by below 0.2 per cent, halting routine flaring of natural gas by 2030 and measuring and reporting emissions. BLOOMBERG