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Updated June 2023

 

Alberta's Gas Resources Preservation Act, proclaimed in 1949, mandates that large volumes of natural gas be reserved for domestic use to ensure that Albertans have enough natural gas supply. Consequently, companies proposing to remove gas from Alberta must first obtain a permit from the AER.

Short- and Long-Term Removal Permits

There are two types of removal permits in Alberta:

Natural gas removals from Alberta are only permitted if the gas for removal is surplus to the current and future natural gas core market requirements over a 15-year period and noncore market requirements over a 5-year period.

  • The core market includes Alberta residential, commercial, and institutional gas consumers.
  • The noncore market includes large industrial users who contract their own gas.

The AER calculates estimated gas reserves available for removal from Alberta (see Table S5.5). Values are calculated after accounting for Alberta’s future requirements in core and noncore markets.

The AER has calculated that as of December 31, 2022, an additional 149 109 m3 (5.3 Tcf) of gas is available for removal permits.

estimated gas reserves available for removal from Alberta

Figure S5.9 shows the volumes of natural gas available for permitting in Alberta from 2012 to 2022.

 

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