Energy and resource development in Alberta encompasses a diverse range of activities and understanding these activities—such as coal mining, oil sands development, natural gas production, and geothermal energy—helps frame our regulatory role throughout the life cycle of industry led projects. We regulate every stage of resource development—from exploration and production to decommissioning to reclamation. We are responsible for ensuring energy producers adhere to our regulatory requirements. Our oversight promotes the safe, efficient, and orderly development of Alberta’s energy and mineral resources, while upholding the safety of the public and the environment.
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Methane | Methane is a colourless, odourless, flammable greenhouse gas. It is the main constituent of natural gas. The global warming potential of methane is estimated to be 25 times greater than that of carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. |
| Mineral Resource Development | The AER is responsible for the safe, efficient, orderly, and environmentally responsible development of energy and mineral resources through our regulatory activities. |
| Oil Sands | Alberta’s oil sands are among the world’s largest deposits of crude oil—in fact, there are more than 165 billion barrels of bitumen in the ground. But with big energy reserves come big responsibilities. |
| Pipelines | Every day in Alberta, a complex network of pipelines operates right under our feet, moving oil and gas to markets at home and beyond. Oil and gas pipelines stretch more than 440 000 kilometres across the province. |
| Seismic Activity | While there is no evidence of any major destructive earthquakes in Alberta’s history, hundreds of low- to moderate-magnitude earthquakes have occurred since 1950. |
| Sour Gas | Natural gas heats our homes, provides electricity, and supplies us with many valuable consumer products. Sour gas is natural gas that contains measurable amounts of hydrogen sulphide (H2S). The gas is colourless and flammable and smells like rotten eggs. |
| Sulphur Recovery | Sulphur is a resource that is used to manufacture fertilizers, paper, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, cosmetics, and steel, among other products. It is also used to produce sulphuric acid, the world's most widely used chemical. |
| Tailings | A large part of Alberta’s energy development is mining the naturally occurring oil sands – a mixture of sand, clay and other minerals, water, and bitumen. |
| Waste Management | All energy and mineral resource development projects generate waste at one or more stages of their life cycles. |
| Water | Protecting the environment, including water, is part of the AER’s mandate. In Alberta, any energy or mineral resource development project that involves water is under our authority. Industry uses water in many activities. |
