Dallas-based Energy Transfer is using satellite technology from Californian company Orbital Sidekick (OSK) to monitor its pipelines.

The company will monitor its assets in the Permian Basin through satellite technology. Energy Transfer is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America with around 200,000km of pipeline and related assets crossing 41 states.

OSK is the first company to deploy hyperspectral sensors commercially in space.

Energy Transfer selected OSK to monitor its Permian Basin assets as part of its partnership-wide pipeline integrity programmes designed to ensure the continued safety of its pipelines. The use of OSK’s satellite technology allows Energy Transfer to go above and beyond the minimum regulatory requirements in monitoring the integrity of its pipelines, something Energy Transfer has done for decades.

OSK’s satellite technology enables earlier detection and prevention of leaks along pipeline rights of way, using hyperspectral data analysis to drive broad improvements in community safety, environmental performance and overall operating efficiency.

“Energy Transfer’s selection of Orbital Sidekick is a testament to our asset monitoring addressing a real and emerging market need,” said Daniel Katz, CEO of OSK. “Operators at Energy Transfer are able to assess the integrity of its pipelines daily, for a reasonable price point and in a more sustainable fashion.”

Peter Weaver, OSK’s vice president of business development, added: “Energy Transfer is an ideal partner to stretch our capabilities to meet the next level of industry demands.”

Upon deployment of OSK’s Ghost constellation, beginning late 2022 or early 2023, OSK will offer frequent monitoring of pipeline assets to the global oil and gas industry through its Sigma platform. OSK’s technology should help the industry meet its compliance and regulatory obligations as well as help transition towards more sustainable operations.

Orbital Sidekick’s vision is to lead the energy transition by building the most robust remote sensing and analytics capability in existence. OSK’s proprietary analytics platform and hyperspectral payload architecture provide persistent space-based monitoring powered by spectral intelligence. This radiometric speciation and change detection capability enables target monitoring services for commercial and defence users globally.

Orbital Sidekick is headquartered in San Francisco, California.