VitalEco, a specialist in orphan well remediation and methane prevention, has appointed The Northern Trust Carbon Ecosystem to manage the recording, transaction, and settlement of its verified carbon credits. The partnership marks a significant step in VitalEco’s mission to prevent methane leaks from thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells across the United States. By adopting, sealing, and restoring these sites, the company plays a crucial role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and rehabilitating local environments.
The Northern Trust Carbon Ecosystem is a fully digital platform designed for the comprehensive management of verified carbon credits. It connects institutional buyers seeking to offset emissions with project developers dedicated to greenhouse gas reduction and removal. This collaboration enables VitalEco to scale up its orphan well remediation efforts, building on its successes across the country.
To date, the company has sealed orphan wells at a low-income senior housing facility in Ohio, a nature conservancy in Pennsylvania, protected wetlands in Louisiana, and agricultural land in Montana. These projects have prevented over 700,000 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions from being released into the atmosphere.
“Our collaboration with The Northern Trust Carbon Ecosystem reflects the industry-wide cooperation needed to scale methane emissions prevention,” said Jan Belt, CEO of VitalEco. “By working with Northern Trust, we gain access to institutional-grade solutions that provide us and our clients with confidence through a partnership with a global financial institution.”
The integrity of these carbon credits is ensured through third-party verification by ALL Consulting, ensuring that each credit represents real, quantifiable methane avoidance. Meanwhile, CarbonPath’s orphan well methodology guarantees that all remediation efforts follow a rigorous, science-based quantification process.
“We are pleased to welcome additional project developers to The Northern Trust Carbon Ecosystem,” said Justin Chapman, Global Head of Digital Assets and Financial Markets at Northern Trust. “Partnering with established developers such as VitalEco demonstrates our platform’s potential to support the Voluntary Carbon Market at scale.”
