Harmonized Methane Emission Platform

Lead Proponent

Alberta Energy Regulator (AER)

Project Background

The objective of this project was to demonstrate a new, more efficient and effective methane emissions reporting platform for the upstream oil and gas (UOG) industry that can collect, manage and share information in a standardized way across multiple provinces. The platform was intended as a reporting and compliance mechanism under AER’s 2018 methane emissions regulations, designed to implement a 45% methane emissions reduction in the UOG industry relative to 2014 levels by 2025.

The vision for this platform was to facilitate methane emissions reductions through efficient, effective and transparent data management. Objectives were to develop a system that aligns activity and product definitions, facility and asset delineation, reporting standards and formats, accessibility to data and storage standards, architecture, and equipment inventories.

Results

The project developed Alberta’s methane reporting software platform (methane module in OneStop), used for reporting and compliance under Alberta’s Methane Emission Reduction Regulation. Mandatory reporting allows industry and regulators to better understand methane emissions source categories and volumes. In conjunction with the project, the AER also published Manual 15 which explains how to quantify and report vent gas and fugitive emissions to the platform, OneStop. The project was aligned with updates made to Directive 60 and Directive 17, which ultimately were recognized as equivalent with federal methane regulations in 2020.