The oil and gas industry currently lacks streamlined support for critically needed, novel, high performance, and cost-effective technologies to address the global emissions reduction challenge. Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada (PTAC) created the Canadian Emissions Reductions Innovation Consortium (CanERIC) to respond to this industry gap. CanERIC is a network of emissions reduction test facilities with a vision to perform the following:
CMC Research Institute testing tool |
From coast-to-coast, CanERIC supports producers, technology providers, academia, regulators, and policy makers and ensures equitable opportunities to all—including women, indigenous communities, immigrants, and remote/small communities. By embracing collaboration, CanERIC provides a complete suite of facilities, such as labs, piloting spaces, mobile instrumentation units, and commercial production sites, that respond to the innovation needs of technology readiness level (TRL) 5-9 technologies related to upstream detection, quantification, mitigation, conservation, conversion, and flaring of methane.
The innovation journey is complex and expensive for new technologies that reduce methane and SLCP emissions in the oil and gas industry. A wide range of technical requirements must be met in diverse settings, while providing low-cost solutions that comply with regulations. Innovators struggle to gain access to all of the required test facilities that allow them to address these complexities. CanERIC streamlines this journey for researchers and innovators by providing simplified access to all facility types along the innovation pathway, from labs to field production sites. In addition, CanERIC helps to ensure that technology providers and researchers are informed about the specific challenges faced by producers and regulators. This information fosters the development of market-driven technologies that also satisfy regulatory requirements.
Innovation is currently hampered and delayed by barriers to information; therefore, CanERIC will enable a centralized, national-level hub for information collection and dissemination. Stakeholders, particularly researchers and technology developers, have indicated that easier and faster access to highly relevant information would accelerate their workflow and reduce their cost by more accurately targeting market requirements.
CanERIC currently has over 200 methane emissions reduction and detection technologies with capacity to reduce Canadian oil and gas sector’s methane emissions by 30 percent. There are approximately 100 potential technologies to be technically and economically validated, field tested, and commercialized within the next 15 years.
The map shows the locations of CanERIC’s member organizations and testing facilities. CanERIC plans to expand the collaboration significantly.
CanERIC Map of Member Organizations and Testing Facilities
The Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada (PTAC) Alberta Upstream Petroleum Research Program (AUPRF) is a unique environmental, peer-reviewed applied research program that manages a methane detection and quantification program in Canada. AUPRF participants include more than 400 producers, Alberta and British Columbia regulators, policy makers, Canadian universities, and other researchers and technology providers. Funding for AUPRF is provided through the Alberta Energy Regulator and voluntary contributions from producers, as well as funding leveraged from other sources.
AMFC 1.0 Kick-off team picture at Rocky Mountain House, Alberta |
AUPRF supports many projects. Each project is governed by a Term of Reference and agreement between the project participants and PTAC that defines milestones and establishes procedures for measuring, reporting, and documenting actions to ensure that project goals are met.
AMFC 1.0 University of Calgary FEMP-EA project at Rocky Mountain House, Alberta
Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada (PTAC) is building an innovation ecosystem to facilitate the development of methane emission detection and reduction for oil and gas operations.
For more information about MERN, including focus areas, resources, and news, visit the Methane Hub website at methanehub.ptac.org. |
PTAC Methane Emissions Reduction Forum in Banff, Alberta
Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada (PTAC) acts as a neutral facilitator and manager for methane mitigation projects and contributes up to 15 percent of funding to help advance projects that reduce methane emissions. By forming numerous consortia and securing sites and funding, PTAC helps technology providers develop, commercialize, deploy, and successfully market their technologies.
PTAC has been a forum for hundreds of technology providers, producers, academia, regulators, government organizations, and investors to collaborate and improve cost-effective new technologies to reduce oil and gas sector methane emissions. PTAC’s consortia have developed and field-tested numerous technologies that currently have the collective capacity to reduce overall oil and gas sector methane emissions by more than 30 percent, including: