CAPP: Canada’s Oil and Natural Gas Industry Demonstrates Transparency and Performance with Report on Emissions

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) released a new report titled, Canada’s Natural Gas and Oil Emissions: Ongoing Reductions, Demonstrable Improvement. The report, which lays out the means to a lower-carbon future through innovation and new technology and illustrates the industry’s proven track record of lowering emissions-intensity, is the first in a series of planned Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) disclosures.

Highlights of the report:

From 2011 to 2019 combined natural gas, condensate and natural gas liquids production increased 32 per cent while emissions intensity in this sector decreased by 33 per cent.
As a result of Canada’s flaring conservation practices, this country ranks among the lowest-emission natural gas producers globally.
While production from Oil Sands In Situ facilities grew by 66 per cent from 2013 to 2019, emissions intensity dropped by 8 per cent.
From 2013 to 2019 oil sands mining production increased 59 per cent as emissions intensity decreased by 14 per cent.
Canada’s offshore industry produces some of the world’s lowest emission oil.
The industry has a broad portfolio of innovative solutions to deliver emissions reductions; technological advances that are not just aspirational, but are making a difference now and continue to be developed to improve performance in the future.

Some examples of these technologies are discussed in the report and include:

Methane Reduction – Industry is working to reduce methane emissions to meet Canada’s goal of a 45 per cent reduction from 2012 levels by 2025. Among the world’s top 10 petroleum exporters, Canada alone has a methane reduction target. Industry is working with the Alberta government on the Alberta Methane Field Challenge which is testing new methane detection technologies including sensors on drones and trucks.
Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage – Facilities are already showing how CO2 can be captured and stored or used in the production process, keeping millions of tonnes of CO2 out of the atmosphere.
Cogeneration – Upstream producers can use waste heat to generate electricity. In the oil sands, excess electricity not used for plant operations is sold to Alberta’s power grid. Cogeneration supplies about 34 per cent of the province’s electricity
Supplying affordable, reliable and cleaner energy to a growing global population is the goal of Canada’s upstream energy industry. Advancing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction is critical to realizing the vision for Canada to be a global supplier of choice with lower-carbon natural gas and oil.

Canada’s Natural Gas and Oil Emissions: Ongoing Reductions, Demonstrable Improvement, is the first report in a planned series of ESG disclosures from CAPP members which is expected to include Indigenous Engagement; Diversity and Inclusion; Air, Land and Water; Research and Innovation as well as Process and Personal Safety.

The entire report on emissions can be downloaded from the CAPP website, as well as the methodology.