Maria Olczak

Maria Olczak

Research Fellow, QMRV Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

Research Fellow in Quantification, Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (QMRV) of GHG Emissions Maria is a Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, specializing in the Quantification, Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (QMRV) of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions. She recently earned her PhD (2020-2024) in Chemical Engineering from Queen Mary University of London. Her doctoral research focused on bridging the gap between scientific research, technologies, and policies to monitor and mitigate methane emissions from industrial sites, including biogas plants. A College of Europe alumna, Maria has a strong academic foundation in European policy and regulation. In 2022, she joined the Environmental Defense Fund as a consultant, where she conducted research on coal mine methane and methane policies within the context of liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading. Prior to this role, she spent five years as a Research Associate at the European University Institute's Florence School of Regulation Gas Area. During this time, she concentrated on policy and regulatory frameworks aimed at reducing methane emissions, decarbonizing the EU gas market, and advancing the role of low-carbon hydrogen and biogas/biomethane. Maria began her professional career at the Polish Ministry of the Environment, where she played an active role in the preparations and proceedings of the COP19/CMP9 as a member of the Polish Presidency Team.

Agenda Day 3 - Thursday, December 3

8:10 AM Panel: The Final Countdown to 2027: Can the Global Energy Industry Deliver a Workable EU Methane Import Standard?

With the EU methane import standard set to take effect in a matter of weeks, the global oil and gas industry is entering a critical period. While the regulation has already reshaped conversations around methane management, significant questions remain around implementation, verification, equivalence, and supply chain accountability. As importers, exporters, operators, and regulators move from planning to execution, this discussion will examine whether the systems, processes, and assurance mechanisms required to support compliance can realistically be delivered at scale—and what the consequences could be if they cannot.

• As the 2027 implementation deadline arrives, are operators, importers, and regulators sufficiently prepared to operationalise the import standard, or is additional flexibility required to support a workable transition? 
• What would a grace period, phased implementation, or alternative compliance pathway look like in practice, and how could it impact investment decisions, supply contracts, and market access? 
• While much of the industry focus has centred on LNG exports, what challenges and unanswered questions remain for crude oil supply chains, and are they receiving sufficient attention? 
• What should "equivalence" mean in practice? Can different operating environments systems, domestic supply chains and regulatory systems achieve comparable outcomes without requiring identical approaches? 
• What is required to achieve third-party verification and reasonable assurance across complex international supply chains, and what are the practical cost, resource, and data implications for operators? 
• How should responsibility for compliance be allocated across the value chain—from upstream producers and midstream operators to LNG exporters, crude marketers, importers, and European buyers? 

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Maria.

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