Recorded on February 24, 2022

Abstract:
In the first large-scale systematic methane inventory project in Canada, we measured methane emissions at over 7000 sites across major oil and gas producing regions (including offshore) to examine regional emission trends, and to derive an inventory estimate for Canada’s upstream oil and gas sector. In western Canadian onshore production, emissions varied by fluid type and geographic region, with the heavy oil region of Lloydminster ranking highest on both absolute and intensity-based scales. Emission intensities varied widely for natural gas production, where older, low-producing developments showed high emission intensities. Emissions from offshore developments in eastern Canada were in-line with reported estimates. Overall, we estimate that the Canadian upstream oil and gas methane inventory is underestimated by a factor of 1.5. When emissions are allocated to individual producers, we find that methane emissions intensity varies more than 1000-fold as determined by factors including geography and infrastructure portfolio. These vast differences in producer-specific methane emissions are not well captured in any single source of self-reported data including ESG reports. Future methane research in Canada needs to focus on sources of high uncertainty in oil and gas, similar inventory work in other sectors, and establishment of a coordinated anthropogenic methane observatory to measure and track progress.

Bio: Dave Risk (PhD) is a Professor of Earth Sciences at St. Francis Xavier University (StFX). Risk’s ‘FluxLab’ team consists of about 20 students and professional researchers. Their interests lie in gas emissions measurement and related data processing techniques in natural and industrial settings. They have been involved in ecological gas measurement projects from pole to pole, and monitoring design for Enhanced Oil Recovery and CO2 Geo-Sequestration sites, but their main research focus is methane abatement in Canadian oil and gas. This methane oil and gas research involves technology development, inventory studies, data science, and regulatory design. Risk is always interested in moving important expertise into the world and is co-founder of two successful Canadian-based companies.

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