ai-case-study-2

FutureScaleX designs a low-CO2 footprint pathway for a French utility's natural gas value chain. 

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Executive summary

Situation: A French multinational launched a ‘low-emission gas’ program to reduce the CO2 footprint of its gas portfolio in Europe. The program focused on three key areas: liquefied natural gas (LNG), renewable natural gas (RNG), and upstream natural gas treatment.

Challenge: Each sector presented unique challenges and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission drivers, requiring tailored decarbonization solutions. Additionally, the competitive landscape varied significantly, with distinct dynamics between sectors like RNG and LNG.​

Solution: FutureScaleX (FSX) developed a sector-specific CO2 reduction roadmap. FSX conducted an emissions assessment for each sector, identifying high-impact CO2 nodes and performing technology scouting and competitive analysis to recommend technologies best suited for in-house R&D.​

Impact:
  • Pinpointed high CO2 intensity nodes in each methane value chain. 
  • Recommended targeted technologies and strategic partners to engage for lowering emissions. 
  • Delivered a peer analysis of competing energy companies, highlighting best practices, blind spots, and effective partnership models. 
Forging CO2 reduction pathways for natural gas treatment, LNG, and renewable natural gas

 

Business Context: Our client, a French integrated energy and utility company, has positioned natural gas as a critical pillar of the energy transition, increasing investments in LNG, biogas, and e-methane in recent years. However, despite promoting LNG as a cleaner alternative to coal-fired power, the client faces concerns over CO2 emissions across the broader natural gas value chain, which could jeopardize its Scope 1 and Scope 2 decarbonization targets.​

To support the sustainable and cost-effective growth of its gas business, the client partnered with FSX to develop a technical pathway for reducing the CO2 footprint of natural gas operations.​

 

Business Requirement: To provide tailored insights for its diverse business units, the client tasked FSX with a detailed investigation into the value chains of LNG, upstream natural gas, and renewable natural gas (biomethane and e-methane). Key requirements included:

  • Map CO2 emissions across the value chain to identify high-intensity nodes.
  • Assess technical solutions to decarbonize these nodes and identify relevant OEMs for engagement.
  • Analyze the competitive landscape among energy peers and recommend areas for R&D and corporate venture capital (CVC) investment.
To address these specific challenges, FSX developed a holistic and systematic framework that aligned with the client's decarbonization goals.

 

Key deliverables
  • Delivered a detailed CO2 reduction roadmap for each natural gas pathway: upstream gas treatment, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and renewable natural gas (RNG).
  • Conducted an in-depth analysis of emerging trends and competitor priorities across the natural gas value chain, highlighting R&D spending, startup partnerships, and project pipelines.​
  • Identified hypercompetitive technology segments, underexplored white spaces, and opportunities for targeted R&D investment.​
  • Evaluated collaborations among energy players and key stakeholders, providing best practices for establishing ecosystems to support innovations such as e-methane.​
The FSX solution framework FSX utilizes a 3-step process to conduct technical feasibility, peer benchmarking, and partner ecosystem development
Assess
key-learning
Step 1:

Emission Landscaping and Peer Identification

  • Natural gas CO2 emissions: Foundational study of emissions in LNG, RNG, and e-methane.
  • Value chain nodes mapping: Identified nodes in the value chains of different natural gas routes as primary root causes for CO2 emissions. 
  • Competitor universe setup: Screened energy and industry peers who are direct competitors to the client and are active in natural gas. 



Step 2:

Technology Scouting and Benchmarking

  • Tech universe: Developed solution universe for high CO2 intensity value chain nodes for different natural gas routes. 
  • Tech Screening: Identified promising solutions by assessing startup and R&D investments, academic research, and patent literature. 
  • Benchmark: Compared positioning of client against competing peers; identified areas of agreement, areas of disconnect. 
Most preferred companies
Model of engagement
Viability of GTM strategy
Entry barriers & success factors

Credibility of market claims
Action
Step 3:

Startup & Collaboration Analysis

Partnership ecosystem
  • Assessed various joint ventures, technology partnerships, led by utilities in natural gas. 
Startup engagement
  • Identified collaborations of energy companies in LNG, gas treatment, e-methane startups. 
Market approach
  • Analyzed research collaborations with universities and grants provided to academic institutions.

FSX sample output

Case study_Natural gas_1
Case study_Natural gas_2
Case study_Natural gas_3

The FSX methodology

Sustainable-growth-as-a-service: A systems-level approach that connects the dots, identifying critical tipping points and solutions that matter. 

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Policy & Regulation

Carrots vs. Sticks

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Innovation & Technology

Potential vs. Scale

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Techno-economics

Tipping points vs. ROI

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Supply Chain

Technical vs. Capital Readiness

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Digitalization

Time-to-market vs. Payback Period

Partnership & Ecosystem

Risk vs. Reward

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