In December 2018, we updated Directive 060: Upstream Petroleum Industry Flaring, Incinerating, and Venting and Directive 017: Measurement Requirements for Oil and Gas Operations. The updates included new requirements to reduce methane emissions from the upstream oil and gas industry. While the updated requirements in Directive 017 took effect immediately, the Directive 060 requirements came into effect on January 1, 2020. Both directives have been subsequently revised.
The resources on this page are to help you understand methane requirements and answer common questions. We recommend you read Directive 060, Directive 017, Manual 015: Estimating Methane Emissions, and Manual 011: How to Submit Volumetric Data to the AER before viewing the resources on this page.
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Background on Methane Reduction and Summary of Directive 060 Methane Requirements (20 minutes)
This video provides you with an overview of the Government of Alberta's commitment to reduce methane emissions, a summary of the methane requirements in Directive 060, and information on emissions reporting and compliance assurance.
Methane Requirements – Commonly Asked Questions (times vary)
This is an interactive resource that answers common questions about our methane requirements, such as how the methane requirements affect existing approvals and the differences between the requirements for new versus existing facilities. You can select topics of interest either during a self-guided tour through a virtual “super” facility that shows the major equipment covered by Directive 060 or from the basic text menu. (View in new window.)
The following modules explain what you need to do to comply with specific subsets of the methane requirements. Modules 1 and 2 cover production accounting and quantifying and reporting emissions. Module 3 covers environmental planning, facilities planning, and regulatory compliance.
Module 1: Methane Emission Reductions Volumetric Reporting (9 minutes)
Understand the updates to the definitions of fuel gas, vent gas, and flare gas, that gas volume reporting is based on equipment operation and facility events, and that new facilities need to be built to align meter placement with the updated definitions of fuel gas, vent gas, and flare gas. (View module in new window.)
Module 2: Methane Emission Reductions Measurement, Monitoring, and Reporting (19 minutes)
Get to know the emissions categories you need to report on, the different methods of quantifying emissions, how to allocate emissions for facility IDs and sites, and what emissions data to report in Petrinex and OneStop. (View module in new window.)
Follow these instructional training videos when submitting annual methane emissions reports to OneStop.
- Part 1 of 3 – A general overview of how to login and interact with the OneStop system.
- Part 2 of 3 – A guide on how to use the manual entry mode for submitting annual methane emission reports.
- Part 3 of 3 – A guide on how to use the bulk upload mode for submitting annual methane emission reports.
Module 3: Methane Reduction Retrofit Compliance Plan (8 minutes)
Understand what a methane reduction retrofit compliance plan is, why it is important to keep it updated, what it must include, and how the plan can be implemented as efficiently as possible. (View module in new window.)
To learn more about the new requirements, visit our page on methane reduction.
Related Information
We publish methane data on our Methane Performance webpages, including
- methane emissions by facility type, production type, or area,
- summary information on our alternative Fugitive Emissions Management Program (FEMP), and
- measures to improve industry methane performance.
This is part of our industry performance program, which measures, evaluates, and reports on the energy development activities that we regulate.
