Solution-gas flaring has been cut by 70 per cent since 1996, and solution gas venting by 38 per cent since 2000, according to an Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) report.
Solution gas is natural gas that is separated from oil or bitumen production.
The report says 2003 numbers represent a further reduction from 2002, when flaring was down 62 per cent from the 1996 baseline, and venting was down 29 per cent from the 2000 baseline.
Solution gas conservation in 2003 was up to 95.4 per cent from 2002’s figure of 94.7 per cent, which is yet another record level.
The report attributes the 2003 reductions in flaring and venting to the co-operative efforts of the Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA) Flaring/Venting Project Team, the petroleum industry and the EUB.
The EUB is part of the World Bank’s Global Flaring and Venting Voluntary Standard that was released May 11.
Global venting and flaring levels are estimated to be more than 100 billion cubic metres per year, which is similar to the annual gas consumption of Germany and France combined.
As in Alberta, the standard requires that gas be conserved unless it is deemed to be unrealistic and unreasonable, and this determination must be revisited regularly.
Similarly, any flaring or venting that cannot be eliminated will be reduced.
Web watch: www.eub.gov.ab.ca/bbs/products/STs/st60b-2004.pdf
