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News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EUB RELEASES 2002 FLARING AND VENTING INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE REPORT: SOLUTION GAS FLARING REDUCED BY 62% SINCE 1996
Calgary, Alberta (October 2, 2003) - The Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) has released Statistical Series (ST) 2003-60B: Upstream Petroleum Industry Flaring and Venting Report. Industry has made considerable progress in reducing flaring and venting volumes from all upstream oil and gas sources. In 2002, operators flared and vented 1545 million cubic metres (106 m3), compared to 1839 106 m3 in 2001, a decrease of 16 per cent.
Flaring of solution gas has been reduced by approximately 62 per cent from 1996 (flaring baseline). A summary of the targets and actual reductions for the past four years is given below:
Solution gas flaring reduction schedule:
Year Firm target reduction (%) Actual reduction (%)
1999 None established 30
2000 15 38
2001 25 53
2002 50 62
Other reductions reported in 2002 include:
- Solution gas flaring was reduced to 514 10
6
m
3
, 18 per cent less than 2001.
- Solution gas venting decreased by 98 10
6
m
3
, or 16 per cent.
- Well test flaring decreased by 46 10
6
m
3
, or 14 percent.
- Gas plants flared or vented a total of 127 10
6
m
3
, a decrease of 32 10
6
m
3
, or 20 per cent.
- Industry achieved a 94.7 per cent solution gas conservation rate in 2002 compared to 94.1 per cent in 2001. This is the best conservation rate achieved to date.
The reductions in flaring and venting that industry has achieved in 2002 can be attributed to the efforts of operators, the work done by the Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA) Flaring/Venting Project Team, publication of the annual flaring and venting report, high commodity prices, and the development and enforcement of EUB Guide 60: Upstream Petroleum Industry Flaring Guide.
The Alberta Energy and Utilities Board ensures that the discovery, development, and delivery of Alberta's resources takes place in a manner that is fair, responsible, and in the public interest.
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For more information, contact:
Brenda Poole Bellows, EUB Communications
Tel: 403-297-7012, Fax: 403-297-3757,
E-mail: brenda.poolebellows@gov.ab.ca
NR-2003-37
Backgrounder
As can be seen on the chart below, conservation of Alberta's solution gas resource increased in 2002 to 94.7 percent (solid line) from the 2001 level of 94.1 per cent. This is the best conservation rate achieved to date. As well, 2002 flaring and venting volumes (dashed line) of solution gas show a significant 17 per cent reduction from the year 2001.
The work of the Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA) and the development of clear requirements which are found in the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board's (EUB's) Guide 60: Upstream Petroleum Industry Flaring Guide have resulted in significantly less gas being flared and vented in the province of Alberta.
In 2002, the issue of solution gas venting prompted the EUB to initiate additional measures designed to achieve a reduction in vented volumes. This resulted in the May 16, 2002 release of General Bulletin (GB) 2002-05: EUB Requirements For Evaluation of Solution Gas Vent Gas Conservation. This GB calls for the Alberta petroleum industry to begin the economic conservation evaluation of certain vent sources by specified deadline dates, with an aim to reducing or eliminating venting in favour of conservation of the solution gas resource.
Tables in ST-60B show operators ranked by solution gas flared plus vented, solution gas flared, and solution gas vented from crude oil and bitumen batteries. This is a change from previous reports, in which operators were ranked first by solution gas flared, rather than flared plus vented. The operators are ranked provincially and by the EUB Field Centre areas.
This news release and backgrounder, Statistical Series 2003-60B Upstream Petroleum Industry Flaring and Venting Report, and GB 2002-05 "EUB Requirements For Evaluation of Solution Gas Vent Gas Conservation." are available on the EUB Web site at http://www.ercb.ca
Definitions:
- Flaring is the burning of gas that cannot be conserved.
- Venting is the release of gas into the atmosphere.
- Solution gas is gas that is separated from oil or bitumen production. Components of solution gas could include hydrogen sulphide, methane, ethane, propane, butane, pentanes plus, nitrogen, water vapour, and carbon dioxide.
