SeekOps secures funding from OGCI, Equinor to scale up emissions inspection solutions
A company that develops and fields advanced sensor technology to detect, localise and quantify natural gas emissions using integrated drone-based systems has secured funding from two investors to scale up its energy sector emissions inspection solutions.
As part of its Series A-1 fundraising, SeekOps has secured investments from the OGCI Climate Investments (OGCI CI) fund and Equinor Technology Ventures (ETV), which is the venture arm of Norwegian energy company Equinor.
Formed in 2017 as a spin-off from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, SeekOps manufactures miniature gas sensors called SeekIR, which are then integrated onto drones to detect, localise and quantify emissions.
“The use of SeekIR precision sensors on drones provides the oil and gas industry with an efficient solution for emissions inspection that saves operators time and money,” said CEO Andrew Aubrey. “This value has been realised by multiple oil and gas customers as a prime business case – early adoption is strong in US and international markets.”
The company currently offers drone services for the energy sector using its gas-sensing capabilities in both upstream and downstream markets. The SeekIR product line will be expanded to include handheld and vehicle-mounted sensors to increase emissions measurement and reporting standards across the industry.
Equinor has been using SeekOps technology since 2017, and previously invested in the company through ETV in June 2018. “Equinor remains excited about the company’s development and continues to follow its growth with great interest,” commented Rannfrid Skjervold, managing director of ETV. “We are pleased to be joined by OGCI CI as co-investor in SeekOps and look forward to working together in the future.”
Pratima Rangarajan, CEO of OGCI CI, added: “At Climate Investments, we are focused on finding innovations that can detect, measure and mitigate methane emissions. SeekOps’ technology is complementary to the rest of our portfolio and provides a cost-effective and accurate method for detection, localisation, and quantification of emissions.”
As part of its Series A-1 fundraising, SeekOps has secured investments from the OGCI Climate Investments (OGCI CI) fund and Equinor Technology Ventures (ETV), which is the venture arm of Norwegian energy company Equinor.
Formed in 2017 as a spin-off from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, SeekOps manufactures miniature gas sensors called SeekIR, which are then integrated onto drones to detect, localise and quantify emissions.
“The use of SeekIR precision sensors on drones provides the oil and gas industry with an efficient solution for emissions inspection that saves operators time and money,” said CEO Andrew Aubrey. “This value has been realised by multiple oil and gas customers as a prime business case – early adoption is strong in US and international markets.”
The company currently offers drone services for the energy sector using its gas-sensing capabilities in both upstream and downstream markets. The SeekIR product line will be expanded to include handheld and vehicle-mounted sensors to increase emissions measurement and reporting standards across the industry.
Equinor has been using SeekOps technology since 2017, and previously invested in the company through ETV in June 2018. “Equinor remains excited about the company’s development and continues to follow its growth with great interest,” commented Rannfrid Skjervold, managing director of ETV. “We are pleased to be joined by OGCI CI as co-investor in SeekOps and look forward to working together in the future.”
Pratima Rangarajan, CEO of OGCI CI, added: “At Climate Investments, we are focused on finding innovations that can detect, measure and mitigate methane emissions. SeekOps’ technology is complementary to the rest of our portfolio and provides a cost-effective and accurate method for detection, localisation, and quantification of emissions.”
