Mitsubishi Electric, MUFG Bank invest in GHGSat to boost satellite emissions tracking
The investment will accelerate a service that uses Japanese and Canadian satellites to pinpoint greenhouse gas sources.
MONTREAL · Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, MUFG Bank, Ltd. and Climate Investment invested in GHGSat Incorporated in October 2026. The investment involves convertible notes issued by the Montreal-based satellite greenhouse gas monitoring company. The move aims to accelerate the development of a service that visualizes emissions from specific industrial facilities. The partners have been working together since November 2024 on a project that combines satellite data for wide-area and high-resolution observations.
The service uses a "tip and cue" method between satellites. Japan's GOSAT-GW satellite, also known as IBUKI GW, conducts wide-area scans to identify regions with suspected greenhouse gas emissions. It then provides tips on potential sources to GHGSat's constellation of satellites. GHGSat's satellites use those cues to perform high-resolution observations of the specific locations, tracing methane and carbon dioxide emissions to individual sites. The companies said the investment will further strengthen their partnership and accelerate the development of the tip and cue service. It will contribute to climate change mitigation by helping visualize actual greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing transparency. The service has been selected for a technology verification project by the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security for fiscal 2026.
Mitsubishi Electric is serving as the prime contractor for the project. The company said the investment will strengthen its business foundation linking satellite data acquisition, analysis and service delivery. It will accelerate the implementation of services for identifying and measuring greenhouse gas emission sources. Mitsubishi Electric invested via its corporate venture capital fund co-managed with Global Brain Corp.
READ MORE: Ottawa invests in rocket launches, satellites and military space roles
READ MORE: Pembina Institute says EV investment welcome but emissions freeze hurts affordability
MUFG Bank said it believes satellite data has the potential to increase the transparency of decarbonization initiatives and help create fair markets. The bank's investment is in Green Convertible Notes issued under GHGSat's Green Finance Framework, which MUFG Bank helped develop. The bank said it will continue to contribute to resolving environmental and social issues by supporting the development of the space industry and the implementation of satellite data in society. Climate Investment, an investor focused on decarbonization technologies, also participated in the investment round. The firm manages $1.8 billion in committed capital. It has invested in more than 45 climate technology companies since its founding.
GHGSat was founded in 2011 and pioneered high-resolution greenhouse gas remote sensing from space. Its satellite constellation can observe industrial sites daily and deliver detection alerts within hours. The company provides emissions intelligence to companies, governments, regulators and investors to help optimize operations and comply with environmental standards. Accurately identifying and quantifying greenhouse gases has become increasingly important for addressing global warming. Methane, the main component of liquefied natural gas, has a greater global warming effect than carbon dioxide. There is a growing need across industries to identify exact emission sources, detect leaks swiftly and accurately quantify emissions.
With files from Newswire