Southwestern Energy Agrees to RSG Supply Deal with Germany’s Uniper

U.S.-based shale gas producer Southwestern Energy Co. on June 14 signed a certified responsibly sourced gas (RSG) supply agreement with the North American subsidiary of German utility company Uniper.

The deal represents Uniper’s first RSG transaction in the U.S. and its second in the North American market. The agreement also shows that despite a gas buying frenzy in Europe, many countries are still seeking “environmentally responsible solutions,” FTI Consulting told Hart Energy in an email response.

“We believe natural gas is foundational to a low-carbon future, and that U.S. natural gas, in particular, plays a vital role in supporting global energy supply and security,” Southwestern Energy President and CEO Bill Way echoed in a company release.

The agreement is in line with Southwestern’s ESG objectives and aligns with its corporate goals to generate sustainable cash flow from responsible natural gas development. 

Southwestern, with operations in the Appalachia and Haynesville shale basins, will supply RSG for use by Uniper’s U.S. midstream gas portfolio which includes distribution to domestic downstream customers and U.S. LNG facilities for liquefaction and export to global markets, according to the Southwestern press release.

Uniper, an international energy company with operations in over 40 countries, is based in Düsseldorf and currently Germany’s third-largest publicly listed energy supply company. Its North America subsidiary engages in sales, trading and marketing activities and provides reliable solutions to assist customers in meeting their decarbonization and wider energy needs. 

“Transparency in energy production practices is a growing market interest, and agreements like this one are key to deploying responsibly sourced solutions for customers in the U.S. and abroad,” Uniper North America President and CEO Marc Merrill said in the release.

The agreement with Uniper follows Southwestern’s announcement in February to expand its company-wide certification and continuous monitoring of its production as RSG. The expansion builds on a previously announced program in Appalachia to include its new Haynesville position acquired in 2021 through the acquisitions of Indigo Natural Resources LLC and GEP Haynesville LLC.

Both of Southwestern’s RSG programs include independent certifications utilizing Project Canary’s TrustWell standards and Canary X continuous monitoring devices. Based in Denver, Project Canary provides independent environmental performance certification and precise continuous emissions monitoring technology that it claims to be the most rigorous and comprehensive certification available.

“As the certified gas market evolves, verified, high-fidelity data is a key differentiator to credible and high-quality RSG certifications,” Chris Romer, Project Canary co-founder and CEO, commented in a February release.

“Southwestern moves the industry forward on comprehensive ESG performance that the measurement economy requires” he added. “The Project Canary certification verifies their commitment to the highest standards in the industry.”

Southwestern expected the addition of the Haynesville would increase the company’s total certified RSG to over 5 Bcf/d of gross operated production.

Independent certification of Southwestern’s Haynesville production is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. The company’s Appalachia certifications were expected to be completed in March.

Editor’s note: This story was updated from a previous version posted at 1 p.m. CT on June 14.