November 2024
To understand methane emissions and methane performance at the same level of detail as in our methane requirements (some of which are source specific), we expanded on the emissions data for reporting through Petrinex (the platform used across western provinces to collect flaring and venting data). In addition to the Petrinex emissions data, operators annually report fugitive emissions (unintentional releases of gas to the atmosphere) and emissions from specific sources through our OneStop reporting platform.
Because the definitions of what constitutes flaring and venting changed significantly in 2020, the data from before the change cannot be meaningfully compared with the data after 2020. Consequently, we have presented data for each period in separate graphs.
Here are some key emissions statistics from 2023 reported data and how they compared to 2022:
Flaring
- Total reported Petrinex flaring increased by 6.7% to 1370.3 106 m3.
- Solution gas flaring increased by 19.8% to 766.8 106 m3. This is the first exceedance of the provincial solution gas flaring limit of 670.0 106 m3.
Venting
- Total reported venting decreased by 15.2% to 303.5 106 m3.
- OneStop source-specific venting and fugitive emissions decreased by 19.1% to 343.4 106 m3.
- Solution gas venting decreased by 16.4% to 110.5 106 m3.
Solution Gas Conservation
- Solution gas conservation decreased slightly from 97.12% to 96.86%.
Fugitive Emissions
- Total fugitive emissions reported in OneStop were 35.2 106 m3, down from 40.36 106 m3 in 2021.
- Unresolved surface casing vent flow and gas migration events were reported at 10 736 wells at the end of 2023.
Methane Reduction
- Alberta met its 45% methane reduction target in 2022, three years ahead of schedule. Using both reported and estimated emissions, results from 2023 modelling indicate that Alberta has reduced methane emissions by 52% from 2014 levels.
Petrinex Data
Operators report through Petrinex gas volumes vented, flared, or consumed as fuel for each of their oil and gas sites. We publicly report these volumes annually in our ST60B: Upstream Petroleum Industry Emissions Report (formerly ST60B: Upstream Petroleum Industry Flaring and Venting Report).
The tables below show annual fuel, flare, and vent gas volumes starting in 2010. In 2020, we revised the fuel, flare, and vent gas definitions in 2020. This change shifted gas volumes from one reporting category to another, making comparisons with data pre-2020 impossible. For example, previously, gas used to drive a pneumatic device was defined as fuel gas, although later vented into the atmosphere. Therefore, we changed the definition of this gas usage to vent gas, which is how it is reported in Petrinex now.
Visuals
2010-2019: Total volume of gas (vent, flare, and fuel)
2020-2023: Total volume of gas (vent, flare, and fuel)
Venting Map:
Flaring Map:
Fuel, Flare, and Vent Data Trends
In 2023, fuel gas use decreased to 27.4 109 m3. In 2020, there was a change in the fuel gas definition in Directive 060 and Directive 017. Volumes that would have previously been reported as fuel gas are now reported as vent gas.
In 2023, flare volume increased to 1303.5 106 m3. The flare volume increase may be attributed to operators trying to minimize venting to meet the new Directive 060 limits by routing vented emissions to combustion equipment and development in new fields where conservation infrastructure is not established.
Venting reported in Petrinex decreased to 303.5 106 m3. It was noted that the actual venting intensity (vent volume in cubic metres per BOE production) also decreased.
Solution gas is an important part of methane emissions in the province. In 2023, we saw an increase in solution gas flaring to 766.8 106 m3, which was a 19.8% increase over 2022 and a 14.4% exceedance of the annual solution gas flaring limit. The solution gas flaring volume of 766.8 106 m3 is about 96.8 106 m3 above the 670.0 106 m3 solution flaring limit. This is first time the limit has been exceeded. Consequently, we have instructed the 20 highest-flaring operators with company-wide conservation below 90% to present plans to achieve above 90% conservation. Solution gas venting decreased slightly to 110.5 106 m3 and conservation to 96.86%.
OneStop Data
Venting reported in OneStop, which includes source-specific emissions and fugitive emissions, decreased to 343.4 106 m3. When comparing the total venting in Petrinex with the total venting in OneStop, the values align more closely than the difference observed in previous years. According to the reporting definitions, the two numbers should be very similar.
The data presented here represents a 91% submission compliance rate.The following figures show vent volumes reported to OneStop by measurement source, facility subtype, and highest fuel, flare, and vent volumes, and field centre.
