PHOENIX – GHGSat, a Montreal company preparing to operate a constellation of greenhouse gas and air quality monitoring satellites, forged an agreement with a Canadian government foundation to monitor emissions in a region of British Columbia.

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), a foundation that supports environmental technologies, will contribute $3.3 million Canadian dollars ($2.48 million) and GHGSat will contribute $6.5 million Canadian dollars ($4.89 million) from its most recent funding round to measure emissions from oil and gas operations in British Columbia’s Montney Region.

“These funds will allow GHGSat to demonstrate to regulators that our technology can offer accurate and more frequent measurements, enabling industrial operators to identify and repair leaks faster, all for lower cost than conventional methods,” GHGSat CEO Stéphane Germain said in a statement. “We’re very excited to be partnering with SDTC again for this next stage of our growth.”

During the 33-month project scheduled to begin in early 2020, GHGSat will compare emissions data from satellite and aircraft sensors with data collected by terrestrial sensors.

GHGSat launched its first satellite in June 2016. The firm plans to launch a second satellite later this year on an Arianespace Vega rocket.

“GHGSat understands the need for globally standardized technology to quantify greenhouse gas emissions from industrialized facilities,” Zoe Kolbuc, SDTC vice president for partnerships, said in a statement. “Their innovative satellites can reduce monitoring costs in the oil sands by over 50 percent. More frequent and accurate reporting better informs the industry on where and how to reduce GHG emissions.”

GHGSat raised $10 million in a Series A2 funding round announced in September 2018.