Canada’s gas industry launches methane management coalition

The Canadian Gas Association (CGA) and the Canadian Energy Partnership for Environmental Innovation (CEPEI) said November 30 they had launched the Canadian Methane Management Coalition (CMMC).

Under the direction of Mike Rose, CEO of Tourmaline Oil, Canada’s largest natural gas producer, and Michele Harradence, executive vice president of Enbridge, the coalition brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to build on Canada’s position as a global leader in reducing methane emissions across the natural gas value chain.

“By championing the formation of a Canadian Methane Management Coalition, we unite diverse players under a common goal: to evolve the future of our natural gas value chain,” Harradence said. “Together, we are committed to continual reduction, ensuring Canada’s methane footprint diminishes with each step, echoing our dedication to a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable energy future.”

The coalition will work to profile and support advanced methane measurement, detection, mitigation, and capture solutions that can be deployed at scale in Canada. Its work will include the sharing of information and best practices that will deliver the next wave of methane emission reduction.

The work of the coalition will build on efforts already underway at the NGIF Emissions Testing Centre (ETC) in Alberta, where emerging technologies for emissions reduction are tested in a real-world setting. The ETC, an industry-led initiative with government and academic support, is quickly becoming a Canadian Centre of Excellence for methane technology.

The ETC is located at the West Wolf Lake natural gas plant in west central Alberta, jointly owned by Tourmaline and Perpetual Energy, and has been instrumental in the industry’s and Tourmaline’s own emissions reduction efforts, Rose said.

“The natural gas industry has long been dedicated to reducing methane emissions and we have been making excellent progress,” he said. “From 2018 to 2022, Tourmaline has reduced its methane emissions intensity by 55% while growing our production by 89%.”

Earlier this week, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the province had hits its 2025 target of reducing methane emissions by 45% from 2014 levels three years early.

“In Alberta, we are transitioning away from emissions and not away from oil and gas,” she said. “We have proven we have the technology, the innovation, and the determination to achieve significant emissions reduction and we will not stop here.”