Bridger Photonics is using its aerial LiDAR technology to help gas operators eliminate fugitive emissions.
As natural gas moves through the supply chain – from production wells to gathering pipelines, processing facilities, transmission networks, and down to the distribution systems that deliver energy to homes and businesses – it also presents a significant emissions challenge at every stage. Operators face mounting pressure to reduce these emissions, not just for regulatory compliance or environmental commitments, but because real reductions demand real measurement.
Methane emissions are not limited to any one segment of the oil and gas industry. Leaks and inefficiencies occur at well pads and processing plants, along transmission pipelines, and even within urban distribution networks. Historically, these different sectors have relied on varying detection methods, many of which are either time-consuming, inaccurate, or poorly suited for broad-scale implementation.
Bridger Photonics Gas Mapping LiDAR™ (GML) technology changes that equation. Mounted on small aircraft, the system uses advanced laser sensors to perform rapid aerial scans of oil and gas infrastructure. It pinpoints methane emissions to within two meters, quantifies the leak rate, and generates detailed plume imagery – all without needing boots on the ground or the installation of equipment on each site.
Trusted by industry leaders
APA Group, Australia’s energy infrastructure partner, has partnered with Bridger Photonics to scan gas transmission pipelines and facilities across the country to accurately detect and measure methane emissions. Bridger’s high-precision data is supporting APA to take targeted action to reduce operational methane emissions, consistent with its 2030 methane reduction target and net zero gas infrastructure operational emissions by 2050 goal.
Additionally, major international players like Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Phillips 66 are already using Bridger’s technology across the globe to refine their operational strategies, streamline field response, and advance their ESG commitments.
Working across the energy value chain
This means operators across production, midstream, LNG, and even distribution can use one flexible technology to detect and manage emissions throughout their operations, creating consistency, efficiency, and data continuity across departments and regions.
In the production sector, where leaks can come from flares, tanks, separators, compressors, or other equipment, early detection is critical. Bridger’s system is capable of identifying leaks as small as 1kg per hour (kg/hr) with a 90 per cent probability of detection, helping operators catch and fix emissions sooner. The technology is also sensitive enough to reveal subtle operational issues through advanced emissions analytics that can be used to detect leak trends among equipment types, operating parameters, or other factors.
In the midstream sector, particularly across vast pipeline networks, GML’s scalability is unmatched. It can scan hundreds of kilometers of pipeline per day, mapping out emissions across remote or hard-to-access terrain in virtually any weather or lighting condition. These capabilities are critical for midstream operators trying to balance coverage with cost and speed.
Downstream, in distribution systems, Bridger’s sensitivity improves even further. The platform detects emissions as low as 0.5kg/hr, also with a 90 per cent probability of detection, allowing utilities to locate and prioritise leaks in communities, where safety and efficiency are paramount.
Across the board, Bridger provides a comprehensive measurement system with industry-leading accuracy – bringing operators clarity on what’s leaking, where, and how much.
Real reductions, not just modelled ones
What sets Bridger apart is its ability to meet operators where they’re at. Many technologies in the emissions space require significant upfront capital investment in ground-based sensors, fixed monitoring systems, or extensive personnel needs to conduct manual surveys. These often lead to overcommitment, particularly when the technology doesn’t scale well across diverse asset types or geographies.
Bridger flips that model. Its aerial, non-invasive approach is inherently flexible and scalable. Operators can start with a pilot region, expand across assets as needed, and adjust frequency or coverage without installing new hardware or overhauling existing systems. Bridger offers multiple emission rate detection sensitivity options, ranging from 1–15 kg/hr all with a 90 per cent probability of detection for the production and transmission sectors, so operators can choose the level of granularity they need.
This adaptability is especially valuable in a regulatory and economic environment that’s evolving rapidly. With Bridger, companies don’t have to choose between near-term value and long-term viability – they get both.
One of the most pressing challenges in methane management is moving from estimates to measurable, verifiable reductions. Many traditional tools rely on statistical models or emissions factors that can misrepresent what’s actually happening in the field. This can lead operators to target locations flagged by models, even when those areas aren’t the true source of emissions.
Bridger’s direct measurement approach avoids this problem. Their technology provides empirical, high-resolution data that reflects real-world conditions, not assumptions. This has led to meaningful emissions reductions for clients across multiple equipment types, where traditional methods have systematically failed to detect key issues.
For example, Bridger has worked with operators to analyse flare performance and identify issues that were previously undetected. These studies uncovered systemic causes, including brief power interruptions that reset operational parameters, leading to extended periods of inefficient flaring, as well as a comprehensive understanding of flare types that correlated with greater emissions.
Armed with this insight, operators were able to take targeted action to eliminate these flare emissions sources – something not possible without actual measurements from the field. This is the kind of impact only possible through large-scale, accurate measurement.
Regulatory validation
In early 2025, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formally approved Bridger Photonics’ GML technology for use at all compliance tiers in its methane rulemaking framework for upstream oil and gas operations. This includes the most stringent monitoring levels, which are designed to support rapid, measurable emissions reduction. This approval gives operators a scientifically validated tool they can rely on – not just to meet current standards but to stay ahead of emerging regulations. Importantly, it also streamlines operations: rather than running parallel detection programs to satisfy both internal ESG goals and federal mandates, operators can meet multiple objectives with a single, unified system.
Beyond emissions management, Bridger’s technology delivers powerful operational efficiencies. Aerial surveys eliminate the need for broad deployment of ground crews, reducing vehicle traffic and limiting personnel exposure to remote or hazardous locations. And because GML delivers data with pinpoint accuracy plus emission rate quantification, operators can prioritise response efforts by leak size and potential impact.
This ensures that the highest-value fixes get addressed first, optimising repair efforts while reducing costs, and systematic analysis of emissions causes can be addressed to reduce future emissions.
Built for what’s next
As the energy sector undergoes a rapid transformation, the tools used to monitor and manage emissions must keep pace. Bridger Photonics is doing just that, with a platform that is built to scale with accuracy.
Whether an operator is looking to roll out a comprehensive emissions reduction strategy across its national footprint or simply trying to improve oversight of a key production region, Bridger offers a path forward that combines cutting-edge science with real-world practicality.
At a time when accuracy, agility, and accountability are paramount, Bridger Photonics is helping the oil and gas industry chart a smarter course through an increasingly complex landscape.
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This feature also appears in the May edition of The Australian Pipeliner.