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Updated November 2023

The methane reduction requirements are a significant change to how industry manages and reports methane. Better industry understanding of and compliance with the requirements will be critical to successfully reducing methane emissions. To improve understanding and ensure compliance, we are carrying out the following activities:

We have invested in methane detection equipment to better our understanding of emissions, detect potential noncompliances, and help drive better industry performance. The detection equipment we are using includes the following:

  • Optical gas imaging cameras used by methane field inspectors across the province
  • Truck-mounted methane sensors
  •  Vent gas metering equipment

Learn more about compliance assurance at the AER.

Remote Sensing Pilots

In 2019, we kicked off a remote sensing pilot that used technologies such as satellite-, airplane-, and truck-mounted methane sensors as emissions compliance tools. The objective of the pilot was to determine if there are technologies available that could serve as regional surveillance tools for emissions compliance.   

The airplane technology has been the most effective tool in identifying methane emissions because it not only detects emissions but also quantifies them and takes relevant site photos and compares multiple sites in a short time frame.  Below is a table that shows the results of the aerial surveillance 2019-2022.

 
2019
2020
2021
2022
Methane Sensor Platform
Active (LiDar)
Passive (Spectrometer)
Active (LiDar)
Active (LiDar)
Minimum Detection Threshold (MDT)
2.1-2.7 kg/hr
11 kg/hr
2.1-2.7 kg/hr
2.1-2.7 kg/hr
(72-92 m3/day)
(375 m3/day)
(72-92 m3/day)
(72-92 m3/day)
Geospatial Resolution
< 2 m
1 m
<2 m
<2 m
Swath Distance
85 m
963 m
85 m
85 m
Total        
# of Facilities
1,194
2,927
1,012
1,200
Sites over 500 m3/day
275
6
64
73
# of sites with Detections over MDT
486
9
271
387
% Detections per site
40.7%
0.3%
26.8%
32.3%
Average Emissions per Facility
476
 
5
 
160
 
128
 
Average Emissions per Facility with Detection
1,168
 
1,760
 
597
 
397
 
Volume Identified (m3/day)
567,829
15,836
161,725
153,557

In the map below, you will see the locations of the remote sensing pilots that were conducted by the AER. Click on the coloured blocks to see details of each pilot.  

Map

See a pdf map of the remote sensing pilot locations. We learned the following important lessons from these pilots:

  1. Remote sensing technologies that can detect emission rates near our compliance limits are valuable tools for assessing risk as part of our compliance program.
  2. The role our methane inspectors play in validating aerial surveillance data is critical in getting a more comprehensive picture of the emissions being observed during these screenings.  
  3. It is important that detection technologies undergo robust performance testing so that the capabilities of the technology are well understood and can be clearly communicated.  

The AER plans to continue remote sensing campaigns annually to collect compliance data and to help direct where ground-based methane inspections will occur.