Growing up in a small town in central Alberta, Blake Wickland saw what oil and gas companies contributed to the community.

“They did so much in Drayton Valley – my minor hockey teams always had an energy or energy services company sponsor us — and I’m sure people who grew up in any small town in Alberta could say the same thing,” Wickland said.

He wound up working in the industry, building and maintaining facilities around the province and the globe in scorching summer heat and freezing January darkness for almost three decades.

“I’ve seen a lot of change in the industry in that time. Some developments are very exciting and what we are seeing with methane emissions is one of them,” Wickland said.

“We are doing important work by making a stronger oil and gas industry through emissions reduction. Doing that helps future proof our industry and all the benefits it brings.”

These days, Wickland serves as executive director of the Calgary-based Methane Emissions Leadership Alliance, but remains focused on work at the wellhead.

Emissions targets surpassed

In Alberta, producers met the target of reducing methane emissions in the province by 45 per cent below 2014 levels three years ahead of schedule in 2022 — and have since surpassed it, with a 51 per cent reduction in 2024.

Oil and gas producers in B.C. are also ahead of schedule, reducing methane emissions by 51 per cent as of 2023, beating the province’s 2025 target of 45 per cent two years early.

New technology funding

Late last year, the Alberta government announced nearly $30 million in technology funding to help further reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas sector.

Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) will receive $22.4 million for its new Methane Reduction Deployment Program, while $7 million was earmarked for the NGIF Accelerator’s new Methane Reduction Demonstration Program.

The funding comes from Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program, financed by levies paid by oil and gas producers under the province’s carbon pricing system.

“Our goal is to reduce emissions intensity by 20 per cent per project on average,” said Luca Jungen, ERA’s efficiency program delivery lead.

“There’s a much greater warming potential with methane than CO2 so the more we do with methane, the easier it is for Alberta and the energy industry to hit their GHG targets.”

Deploying methane-cutting technologies

Calgary-based Spartan Controls is one of the companies whose technologies have helped slash methane emissions in Alberta.

Spartan manager of environmental solutions Brian Van Vliet said previous incentives have helped companies adopt technologies that cut methane emissions.

“Producers trying to run a business face challenges being competitive globally with variable commodity prices, constraints in access to market and differing regulatory requirements. Implementing technologies to cut methane emissions is an added capital cost,” Van Vliet said.

“Providing funding through TIER, which industry pays into, makes sense because industry can get some of those dollars back when they continue to invest in eligible measures  that reduce their GHG footprint. And that benefits industry and the province because Alberta is producing hydrocarbon products with lower carbon intensities.”

Exporting Alberta innovation

Van Vliet said the benefits could reach beyond Alberta, with companies able to export methane reduction technologies to other regions.

“If something works in Alberta with its wide range of ambient temperatures and process conditions, it will be robust enough to work anywhere in the world,” he said.

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