Arvind P. Ravikumar, Jacob G. Englander, Adam R. Brandt, Stanford University
Cooper Robinson, Cap-Op Energy
Brenna Barlow, Wes Funk, DxD Consulting
Colin Clarke, David Safety Inc.
2018
Executive Summary
The oil and gas industry is a major economic engine in Alberta and British Columbia. Yet, methane emissions from oil and gas facilities poses a significant challenge to operators because of methane’s large contribution to global warming. In 2015, about half the total methane emissions in Canada – 45 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent – was attributed to the oil and gas industry. Eliminating this source of methane emissions would be equivalent to eliminating emissions from 10 million cars. There are also additional advantages to reducing emissions: the emitted methane is worth billions of dollars and reducing methane emissions improves local air quality.
Recent field campaigns in Alberta and British Columbia that measured methane emissions from oil and gas facilities using multiple independent methods show the same thing – that actual emissions are higher than reported or estimated emissions. As concerns about the impact of climate change grows globally, reducing methane emissions simply becomes a strategic risk management choice because reductions will help maintain public support for resource development. Furthermore, sustainable development of Canada’s resources is in its long-term national interest because it balances the need to grow the economy with the responsibility to protect the environment.
Environment Canada recently finalized regulations to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry by 40 – 45%. These regulations include periodic leak detection and repair programs, limits on venting from pneumatic devices, compressors, and other processes in the upstream production sector. Similarly, Alberta has proposed equivalent methane regulations at the provincial level. The central question in this study then follows: how effective will these regulations – the periodic leak detection and repair programs in particular – be in reducing methane emissions as expected.
This white paper is a scoping study that aims to assess the effectiveness of fugitive emissions management programs (FEMP). It is a summary for business leaders and policy makers of the latest science on methane emissions, a review of contemporary policy approaches to mitigate methane, and a summary of scientific uncertainties and knowledge gaps. Finally, we also propose a detailed study plan that answers the fundamental question: how effective are leak detection and repair programs in reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector?
Phase I Report (Cap-Op Energy)
Phase II Report (Cap-Op Energy)
Fugitive Emission Management Program (FEMP) Effectiveness Assessment – MWA Summary Report
# 17-ARPC-13 / 18-ARPC-05