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By rdnewsNOW Staff

52 PER CENT REDUCTION SINCE 2014

Minister Shulz to promote Alberta’s approach to reducing methane emissions at COP 29

Nov 7, 2024 | 1:16 PM

According to data from the Alberta Energy Regulator, the province has reduced its methane emissions by 52 per cent since 2014 while continuing to increase production.

Officials say this is the message the provincial government will share at COP 29, that it is possible to reduce methane emissions while growing the economy, and ensuring that energy delivery is safe, affordable, and reliable.

“We do not need Ottawa to tell us how to reduce emissions. In fact, the federal government should learn from Alberta’s success. By working closely with industry and focusing on technology, not costly taxes or unrealistic targets, we can achieve rapid emission reductions while delivering the safe, affordable, reliable energy the world needs,” comments Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Shulz.

Related: Federal emissions cap a “sucker-punch” to province, Alberta says

Under Alberta’s equivalency agreement with the Government of Canada, the province is in charge of regulating methane emissions. The province says its approach is working closely with industry and focusing on achievable results, including early action programs like carbon offsets, implementation of strong provincial regulatory requirements in place for all facilities, and improved leak detection and repair. This approach is estimated to have saved the industry about $600 million.

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Since 2020, provincial officials say Alberta has invested $78 million from the industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction program to improve methane monitoring and management. Almost 15,000 well sites and facilities are said to have been reviewed across the province, preventing nearly 17 million tonnes of emissions from being released, provincial representatives report.

Additionally, the province recently announced $15 million in funding for the NGIF Emissions Testing Centre to help companies test technologies free of charge in both laboratory and live settings, attract investors and get methane emissions reduction technologies to market faster.

“Tourmaline, like other producers in Western Canada, has been diligently reducing methane emission intensity across our field operations, and we are targeting a 55 per cent reduction from 2020 levels by 2027,” adds president and CEO of Tourmaline Michael Rose. “We operate a world-leading methane emissions testing centre (ETC) at our West Wolf Lake gas plant near Edson, Alberta. At the ETC site, the latest technologies to better measure and mitigate future methane emissions are being developed.”

Minister Schulz will travel to the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 29) from Nov. 10-16 to share Alberta’s approach to emissions reductions with the world.

Shulz will attend with one staff member and three department officials, and expenses for the trip will be shared online.

Her itinerary is as follows:

• Nov. 10-11: Travel to Baku, Azerbaijan.
• Nov. 12: Attend Alberta delegation briefings and meetings on COP 29.
• Nov. 13: Participate in a panel on Alberta’s Methane Emissions Reduction success and other events.
• Nov. 14: Participate in panel on Alberta’s Industrial Carbon Pricing Leadership and other events.
• Nov. 15: Participate in panels on Canada’s Global Role in Carbon Removal, Securing a Reliable Energy Future and other events.
• Nov. 16: Return to Calgary.

This itinerary is subject to change.