December 2025
To understand methane emissions and methane performance at the same level of detail as in our methane requirements (some of which are source specific), we analyzed on the emissions data for reported through Petrinex (the platform used across western provinces to collect flaring and venting data). In addition to the Petrinex emissions data, operators annually report fugitive emissions (unintentional releases of gas to the atmosphere) and emissions from specific sources through our OneStop reporting platform.
Because the definitions of what constitutes flaring and venting changed significantly in 2020, data from before the change cannot be meaningfully compared with the data after 2020. Consequently, we have presented data for each period in separate graphs.
Here are some key emissions statistics from 2024 reported data and how they compared with 2023:
Fuel Use
- Total reported Petrinex fuel use increased by 7.7% to 29.5 109 m3.
Flaring
- Total reported Petrinex flaring increased by 11.9% to 1534.1 106 m3.
- Solution gas flaring increased by 19.3% to 914.5 106 m3.
Venting
- Total reported Petrinex venting decreased by 9.7% to 273.9 106 m3.
- Solution gas venting decreased by 8.5% to 101.1 106 m3.
Solution Gas Conservation
- Solution gas conservation decreased slightly from 97.25% to 96.51%.
Fugitive Emissions
- Total fugitive emissions reported in OneStop increased by 15.5% to 40.4 106 m3.
Surface Casing Vent Flow (SCVF) and Gas Migration (GM)
- Cumulative unresolved SCVF and GM events were reported at 11 038 wells at the end of 2024.
Methane Reduction
- Alberta met its 45% methane reduction target in 2022, three years ahead of schedule. Using both reported and estimated emissions, results from 2024 modelling indicate that Alberta has reduced methane emissions by 51% from 2014 levels.
Petrinex Data
Operators report through Petrinex gas volumes vented, flared, or consumed as fuel for each of their oil and gas sites. We publicly report these volumes annually in our ST60B: Upstream Petroleum Industry Emissions Report (formerly ST60B: Upstream Petroleum Industry Flaring and Venting Report).
The tables below show annual fuel, flare, and vent gas volumes starting in 2010. In 2020, we revised the fuel, flare, and vent gas definitions. This change shifted gas volumes from one reporting category to another, making comparisons with data pre-2020 impossible. For example, previously, gas used to drive a pneumatic device was defined as fuel gas, although later vented into the atmosphere. Therefore, we changed the definition of this gas usage to vent gas, which is how it is reported in Petrinex now.
Visuals
2010-2019: Total volume of gas (vent, flare, and fuel)
2020-2024: Total volume of gas (vent, flare, and fuel)
Venting Map:
Flaring Map:
Fuel, Flare, and Vent Data Trends
In 2024, fuel gas use increased to 29.5 109 m3. In 2020, there was a change in the fuel gas definition in Directive 060 and Directive 017. Volumes that would have previously been reported as fuel gas are now reported as vent gas.
In 2024, flare volume increased to 1534.1 106 m3. The flare volume increase may be attributed to operators trying to minimize venting to meet the new Directive 060 limits by routing vented emissions to combustion equipment and development in new fields where conservation infrastructure is not established.
Venting reported in Petrinex decreased to 273.9 106 m3. It was noted that the actual venting intensity (vent volume in cubic metres per BOE production) also decreased.
In 2024, we saw an increase in solution gas flaring to 914.5 106 m3, which was a 19.3% increase over 2023. Solution gas venting decreased slightly to 101.1 106 m3 and conservation to 96.5%.
OneStop Data
Emissions reported in OneStop, which includes source-specific emissions and fugitive emissions, decreased to 323.4 106 m3. When comparing the total venting in Petrinex with the total venting in OneStop, the values align more closely than the difference observed in previous years. According to the reporting definitions, the two numbers should be very similar.
The data presented here represents a 92.9% submission compliance rate.The following figures show vent volumes reported to OneStop by measurement source, facility subtype, and highest fuel, flare, and vent volumes, and field centre.
