Updated November 2024
The methane reduction requirements are a significant change to how industry manages and reports methane. Better industry understanding of and compliance with the requirements will be critical to successfully reducing methane emissions. To improve understanding and ensure compliance, we are carrying out the following activities:
We have invested in methane detection equipment to better our understanding of emissions, detect potential noncompliances, and help drive better industry performance. The detection equipment we are using includes the following:
- Optical gas imaging cameras used by methane field inspectors across the province
- Truck-mounted methane sensors
- Vent gas metering equipment
Learn more about compliance assurance at the AER.
Remote Sensing Pilots
In 2019, we kicked off a remote sensing pilot using technologies such as satellite-, airplane-, and truck-mounted methane sensors as emissions compliance tools. The pilot objective was to determine if there are technologies available that could serve as regional surveillance tools for emissions compliance.
The airplane technology has been the most effective tool in identifying methane emissions because it not only detects emissions but also quantifies them and takes relevant site photos and compares multiple sites in a short timeframe. The following table shows the results of the 2019 to 2023 surveillance campaigns.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methane Sensor Platform | Active (Lidar) | Passive (Spectrometer) | Active (Lidar) | Active (Lidar) | Active (Lidar) |
| Minimum Detection Threshold (MDT) | 2.1-2.7 kg/hr | 11 kg/hr | 2.1-2.7 kg/hr | 2.1-2.7 kg/hr | 1.8 kg/hr |
| (72-92 m3/day) | (375 m3/day) | (72-92 m3/day) | (72-92 m3/day) | (64 m3/day) | |
| Total | |||||
| Number of Facilities | 1194 | 2927 | 1012 | 1200 | 388 |
| Sites over 500 m3/day | 275 | 6 | 64 | 73 | 24 |
| Number of sites with Detections over MDT | 486 | 9 | 271 | 387 | 103 |
| Detections per site (%) | 40.7% | 0.3% | 26.8% | 32.3% | 26.6% |
| Average Emissions per Facility | 476
| 5
| 160
| 128
| 102
|
| Average Emissions per Facility with Detection | 1168
| 1760
| 597
| 397
| 385
|
| Volume Identified (m3/day) | 567 829 | 15 836 | 161 725 | 153 557 | 39 676 |
The map below shows locations of the remote sensing pilots conducted by the AER. Click on the coloured blocks to see details of each pilot.
Map
We learned the following important lessons from these pilots:
- Remote sensing technologies that can detect emission rates near our compliance limits are valuable tools for assessing risk as part of our compliance program.
- The role our methane inspectors play in validating aerial surveillance data is critical in getting a more comprehensive picture of the emissions being observed during these screenings.
- It is important that detection technologies undergo robust performance testing so that the capabilities of the technology are well understood and can be clearly communicated.
The AER plans to continue remote sensing campaigns annually to collect compliance data and to help direct where ground-based methane inspections will occur.
