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News Release     
        
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EUB REPORT: SOLUTION GAS FLARING DOWN 72% SINCE 1996, VENTING DOWN 59% SINCE 2000

Reductions keep 7.2 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from being released into atmosphere

Calgary, Alberta (October 27, 2006) According to a new report released by the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB), solution gas flaring in Alberta has been reduced by 72 per cent since 1996, and solution gas venting has been reduced by 59 per cent since 2000.

Those reductions have kept 7.2 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (C02 equivalent) from being released into the atmosphere since 1996.  According to Climate Change Central, that is the equivalent of taking about 1.5 million cars off of Alberta’s roads for one year.

The EUB’s ST60B-2006: Upstream Petroleum Industry Flaring and Venting Report also indicates that in 2005 - a year featuring unprecedented levels of oilpatch activity - the upstream oil and gas industry reduced venting of solution gas into the atmosphere by 22 percent, while flaring held steady with respect to 2004.  Overall, 96.3% of all solution gas produced in Alberta last year was conserved for use or sale, rather than being flared and vented.

This success can be attributed to the cooperative efforts of the Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA) Flaring/Venting Project Team, the petroleum industry, and the EUB.

According to the World Bank, flaring gas adds about 350 million tons of CO2 in annual emissions worldwide. The World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership supports governments and companies in their efforts to reduce the flaring and venting of gas associated with the extraction of crude oil. The EUB’s successful experience will be a topic of discussion among the international community at the upcoming World Bank Global Forum on Flaring Reduction and Gas Utilization to be held in France from December 13-15, 2006. 

Flaring is the burning of natural gas that cannot be conserved. Venting is the release of natural gas into the atmosphere.  Solution gas is natural gas produced in association with crude oil and bitumen production.

The EUB ensures that the discovery, development, and delivery of Alberta’s energy resources and utility services take place in a manner that is fair, responsible, and in the public interest.

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This news release is available on the EUB Web site at www.ercb.ca

For more information, please contact:

Davis Sheremata, EUB Communications
Phone: 403-297-2252
Email: davis.sheremata@gov.ab.ca

NR 2006-45