Strategies for Managing Emissions Regulations: Process Ecology’s Approach

Canada’s oil and gas sector is experiencing unprecedented challenges with low oil & gas prices and the development of the Covid-19 pandemic. Added to the uncertainty is the fact that emissions regulations in Canada’s oil and gas sector have become increasingly complex and costly.

Despite the immense pressures the oil & gas industry is facing today, companies need to find ways to efficiently comply with them. Compliance with some regulations is being relaxed, but this is only a temporary measure and at the time of writing this article, does not yet apply to most air emissions reporting. There are a number of strategies to consider:

Consolidate field requests. Regulations are requiring more surveys and field measurements, such as fugitive emissions surveys, compressor seal vent measurements, and compressor NOx measurements. Field data may also be required for emissions reporting. These requests should be consolidated to reduce costs (which include operator time).
Consider the future status of assets (shut-in, sales, etc.). Focusing on core assets may be a more effective approach.
Defer capital spending. It is important to plan and budget for required capital expenses required to comply with emissions regulations. However, in some cases, these costs can be deferred.
Integrate emissions reporting. There are significant benefits and cost reductions associated with integrating aspects of all air emissions reporting, from data gathering to calculation/estimation and to reporting.

Focusing on this last strategy – many existing methods of managing emissions data and calculations must change in order to keep up with the new emissions regulation landscape.

With many of the systems being used:

It is difficult to keep on top of all the regulatory changes
Many requests for data are being made
Numerous estimates are required for air emissions regulations and they are not always consistent
With spreadsheets, as people change it can be very difficult to ensure consistency and accuracy of reporting.
With generic “emissions applications” a significant investment must be made to ensure it applies to emissions regulations that apply to Canadian oil and gas operators.

Our Approach is to provide emissions management software built for the Canadian oil & gas requirements:

Provides estimates for all methane sources, using the data that is available
Takes advantage of the potential for integration of different emissions reporting
Generates reports for emissions reporting and other requirements
We back it up with engineering and emissions expertise
The best emissions reduction opportunities are identified

We are working with our clients to efficiently report emissions and reduce the cost of compliance. Contact us to discuss how we can help!