Finance

Verified Asset-Level Methane Data

Independent Sustainable Finance Methane Data for ESG Disclosure and Portfolio Risk

GHGSat provides sustainable finance methane data measured independently from space, delivering asset-level emission rates to financial institutions, asset managers, and ESG teams without reliance on operator-reported figures.

Financial institutions managing exposure to carbon-intensive assets need emissions data they can trust. Satellite measurement consistently finds that self-reported methane emissions are significantly understated. GHGSat provides the independent, measurement-based data needed to assess financed emissions, meet disclosure obligations, and manage climate-related financial risk with confidence.

The Challenge

Unmeasured Methane Emissions Are a Hidden Portfolio Risk

Financial institutions are exposed to methane-intensive assets across oil and gas, midstream infrastructure, coal, and waste. What is often missing is visibility at the facility level. Most emissions data comes from corporate disclosures, produced by the same operators responsible for those emissions. Independent satellite measurements have shown that actual methane emissions can be up to three times higher than what is reported.

ESG scores and sector-level ratings combine data in a way that can hide where emissions actually occur. A single high-emitting asset can sit inside an otherwise low-risk portfolio without being clearly identified. Without independent, facility-level data, it is difficult to pinpoint where the real exposure lies.

Frameworks such as the EU Methane Regulation, US EPA rules, SFDR, PCAF, and ISSB S2 are raising expectations around data quality and verification. Institutions that rely on estimated or self-reported data may find that it no longer meets the level of scrutiny required by regulators or investors.

The GHGSat Solution

Independent Satellite Methane Data Supports Financial Decision-Making

GHGSat collects methane emissions data directly from space. Each satellite observation is attributed to a specific facility and validated independently. Financial institutions use GHGSat data as a primary input for risk decisions, not as a supplement to what companies already report.

The dataset covers millions of facilities across the globe with observations from different sectors like oil and gas, waste, and mining. The historical archive extends to 2019, allowing investment teams to assess a company’s actual emissions trajectory over nearly a decade, not just its current stated position.

Data is delivered as a structured file, formatted for integration into existing portfolio analytics, risk, and ESG reporting systems. Delivery frequency and basin coverage are configurable. Alerts can be set for new emission events on held assets.

The Scale of What Satellite Data Is Finding

2.93M

Industrial facilities monitored
globally in 2025

702  MtCO₂e

Total methane emissions detected
by GHGSat satellites in 2025

21  MtCO₂e

Total methane mitigation
enabled globally since inception

Turning Methane Emissions Data into Financial Outcomes

Turn methane exposure into measurable financial risk

Satellite data reveals that emissions often exceed operator-reported figures, exposing hidden liability in portfolios. GHGSat converts this gap into a quantified risk signal that can be priced, monitored, and managed.

Improve confidence in climate disclosures

Independent measurement strengthens reporting under frameworks such as PCAF, SFDR, CSRD, and ISSB S2. This reduces reliance on self-reported data and improves the credibility and defensibility of disclosures.

Reveal underperforming assets masked by aggregation

Facility-level emissions data exposes performance differences that are often hidden in portfolio-level ESG ratings, enabling more precise identification of high-risk assets.

Enable earlier detection of emissions deterioration

Historical and ongoing observations allow investors to track emissions trajectories over time, flagging assets that are persistently high-emitting before they impact valuation or trigger regulatory scrutiny.

Support more accurate pricing of sustainable finance instruments

Verified emissions data strengthens the foundation for sustainability-linked loans, green bonds, and underwriting by differentiating assets based on real, observable performance rather than estimates.

Validate net zero and transition performance

An independently measured baseline enables investors to verify whether reported emissions reductions are reflected in actual operational performance, strengthening accountability against net zero commitments.

How GHGSat Asset-level Data Fits into Financial Workflows

  1. Pre-deal screening: Before a transaction is completed, GHGSat data can be used to assess whether an asset’s observed methane emissions align with disclosures or exceed expected regulatory thresholds. This provides an independent input for credit and investment committee decisions.
  2. Portfolio monitoring: Once capital is deployed, emissions data can be updated across holdings to track performance over time. This enables earlier detection of emerging emission events and underperforming assets before they are reflected in valuations or regulatory action.
  3. Stewardship and engagement: Facility-level observations provide a factual basis for engagement with portfolio companies. Rather than relying solely on reported figures, investors can compare disclosed emissions against measured performance to support more grounded target-setting discussions.
  4. Regulatory and climate reporting: GHGSat data includes documented uncertainty and can be integrated into frameworks such as PCAF, SFDR, TCFD, and ISSB S2. This strengthens financed emissions reporting by reducing dependence on self-reported data and improving auditability.

The Measurement Standard

Built for Asset-Level Attribution

GHGSat’s satellite constellation detects methane at 100 kg/hr, the lowest threshold on the market, with approximately 25-meter spatial resolution. That precision is what makes facility-level attribution possible. Lower-resolution systems produce regional estimates; GHGSat observations are traceable to individual assets.

The constellation revisits sites daily, with data delivered the same day. For financial institutions, that means portfolio surveillance is continuous rather than dependent on annual reporting cycles. The full specification, including coverage, delivery formats, and historical data depth, is available on the data products page.

Applications Across Financial Institution Types

  1. Asset Managers and Institutional Investors Portfolio-wide methane emissions screening, financed emissions accounting, ESG rating inputs, net zero portfolio tracking
  2. Banks and Lenders Pre-lending emissions due diligence, ongoing monitoring of financed assets, PCAF-aligned financed emissions reporting
  3. Insurance and Reinsurance Emissions risk assessment for underwriting decisions, ongoing monitoring of insured assets, climate risk modelling inputs
  4. ESG Data Providers and Rating Agencies Independent satellite emissions data as an input to corporate ESG ratings and sector benchmarking
  5. Private Equity and Infrastructure Funds Pre-acquisition emissions due diligence, asset-level performance monitoring, exit readiness assessment

Case Studies

MUFG Bank, Mitsubishi Electric, and GHGSat: Bringing Facility-Level GHG Visibility to the Financial Sector

BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES | GHG VISUALISATION AND CLIMATE RISK

MUFG Bank partnered with GHGSat, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and Satellite Data Service Planning Corporation to develop a shared capability for visualizing greenhouse gas emissions from industrial facilities using satellite data.
The partnership was formed to address a growing need in financial markets: objective, neutral, and traceable emissions data to guide low-carbon transitions. MUFG contributed the financial institution perspective on sustainability and stakeholder engagement; GHGSat delivered high-resolution daily satellite imagery quantifying greenhouse gas emissions to the facility level.
The collaboration integrates GHGSat’s asset-level insights with GOSAT wide-area coverage, enabling companies and their financial backers to monitor emissions from routine operations, receive rapid alerts for detected incidents, and understand the environmental impact of their activities across their portfolios.

S&P Global Commodity Insights: Using Satellite Methane Data to Benchmark Global LNG Emissions

DATA LICENSING AND FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE | ENERGY AND COMMODITY MARKETS

S&P Global Commodity Insights entered a data-licensing agreement with GHGSat to integrate high-resolution, facility-level methane emissions data into its analytics and intelligence capabilities for the global energy sector. The collaboration was put directly to work in S&P Global’s US LNG Impact Study—a major independent assessment of the greenhouse gas implications of expanded US LNG export capacity. GHGSat satellite data was used alongside Sentinel-2 and TROPOMI to benchmark US LNG emissions against other global sources, including countries with opaque methane reporting practices.

The outcome for investors: asset-level benchmarking of US LNG emissions with bankable, independently verified data enabling portfolio managers to validate sector performance, align holdings with sustainability goals, and manage regulatory and climate-related financial risk with evidence rather than estimates.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Finance Methane Emissions Data, Explained.

What is finance methane emissions data?

Finance methane emissions data is independently measured, and facility-level greenhouse gas information is used by financial institutions to assess asset-level emissions exposure, quantify financed emissions, and validate corporate sustainability disclosures. It differs from self-reported corporate data in that it is collected by satellite independently of the companies being assessed and attributed to specific industrial facilities rather than aggregated at the company or sector level.


How do investment teams use satellite methane data in portfolio management?

Investment teams use satellite methane data to screen assets for emissions exposure before making lending or investment decisions, assess whether holdings are on credible decarbonization trajectories, and engage portfolio companies using independently verified data. The data is particularly useful for identifying high-emitting outlier facilities that carry disproportionate regulatory risk exposure that company-level disclosures or ESG scores do not typically surface.


How accurate is GHGSat satellite methane data compared to self-reported emissions figures?

GHGSat data is directly measured from orbit at approximately 25 m spatial resolution with a detection threshold of 100 kg/hr. It does not rely on the operator’s methodology, disclosure schedule, or reporting assumptions. Studies have found significant divergence between satellite-measured emissions and self-reported figures at the facility level; in some cases, measured emissions are substantially higher than disclosed values. For financial institutions, this divergence represents unpriced risk.


Which regulatory frameworks require or are served by independently measured methane emissions data?

Several financial regulation frameworks create or imply requirements for verifiable emissions data: PCAF requires financed emissions quantification; SFDR Articles 8 and 9 require principal adverse impact reporting; ISSB S2 requires climate-related financial disclosures; and TCFD requires physical and transition risk assessment. The EU Methane Regulation and US EPA Final Rule create direct compliance costs for high-emitting assets that appear as transition risks in financial portfolios.


How is GHGSat data delivered to financial institutions?

GHGSat data is delivered as a structured dataset via secure file transfer, formatted for integration into existing portfolio analytics, risk management, and ESG reporting systems. Coverage and delivery frequency are configurable to institutional requirements. Historical data extends to 2019. Clients may also request targeted observations of specific facilities or basins relevant to their portfolio.


Do insurers use methane emissions data differently from asset managers?

Yes. Asset managers primarily use methane data for portfolio screening, transition risk assessment, and stewardship. Insurers use it to verify client disclosures at the facility level, identify high-emitting assets that represent elevated claims exposure, and support performance-based pricing. Both institutions share a common requirement for independently measured data, but the specific risk they are pricing differs: regulatory compliance cost for investors and loss ratio for insurers.


Can GHGSat data be used where corporate disclosure is absent or incomplete?

Yes. Because GHGSat collects data independently from space, coverage does not depend on whether a company has filed a GHG disclosure, participates in a voluntary reporting framework, or operates in a jurisdiction with mandatory reporting. This makes the data particularly useful for assessing assets in regions with limited regulatory oversight, privately held companies with no disclosure obligation, and facilities where disclosed figures are inconsistent with sector benchmarks.


Talk to an Expert

Understand the Methane Risk in Your Portfolio

Whether you are assessing financed emissions, meeting disclosure obligations, conducting pre-investment due diligence, or engaging portfolio companies on climate performance, speak with a GHGSat expert to understand how independent satellite methane data can support your investment process.

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