Canada's oil and gas industry is reducing flaring and venting with new guidelines and practices.
The Issue: Release of Greenhouse Gases
Flaring and venting are two negative environmental consequences of oil and gas production, and the public is concerned about the potential environmental effects, possible health risks and climate change.
Flaring is a controlled burning of natural gas. Venting is the word used to describe natural gas that is released. Both flaring and venting release greenhouse gases, sulphur dioxide (SO
2) and methane into our atmosphere.
There are a number of situations where flaring and venting become necessary. When a company develops an oil well, sometimes natural gas is also found. When the oil comes to the surface, the gas can expand and come out of the well. If the amount of gas is too small to warrant building a pipeline or other infrastructure to bring it to market, it is flared or vented.
Flaring also occurs at facilities (oil batteries, gas plants and upgraders) to safely remove gas prior to plant maintenance, or if there is a problem with the facility.
What We’re Doing: Strong Reductions in Flaring and Venting
In Alberta, the industry has partnered with the Clean Air Strategic Alliance to create guidelines for reducing flaring and venting. These guidelines included tools to help companies determine the economics of flaring gas at a site, as compared to creating the infrastructure to collect and ship the gas to market.
Other solutions include reinjecting the gas back into the oil reservoir to raise the pressure in the reservoir so the oil flows to the well more easily, leading to greater oil recovery.
At natural gas facilities, new methods for operations have also resulted in less gas being flared.
As a result of these and other efforts, flaring levels were reduced in Alberta by more than 70 per cent from 1996 to 2003. Industry is also working with British Columbia's Oil and Gas Commission in creating the Flaring, Incinerating and Venting Guideline for British Columbia. The guideline is seeking a 50 per cent reduction in routine flaring of solution gas by 2011, and complete elimination by 2016.
We’re also working with the provincial government in Saskatchewan to develop guidelines that will reduce the level of flaring and venting in that province.
How Did We Do: CAPP's Stewardship Report
Flaring and venting are oil and gas industry activities that impact the environment through air and GHG emissions, such as methane and sulphur dioxide. Flaring is controlled burning of natural gas; venting refers to natural gas that is released.
There are several situations where flaring and venting are necessary. During development of an oil well, for example, natural gas sometimes flows out of the well. If the quantity is small and not commercially viable, the gas is flared or vented. Flaring is also conducted at oil batteries, gas plants, and upgraders to remove gas for plant maintenance, or if there is a problem at the facility.
2009 Stewardship Report
(PDF | 2.7MB | Jan 2010)
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