FluxLab, based out of St. Francis Xavier University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has been studying emission levels in southeast Saskatchewan, in particular, south of Weyburn, for more than 10 years. The studies have looked at various emissions, such as methane, and comparing the data collected to other sites and emission studies in Canada and the United States.

Late last week, the abstract of a study from FluxLab was released by the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The lead author of the study, Katlyn Mackay, Ph.D., explained the study showed some positive results for the region.

“Methane emissions were low in both frequency and magnitude on, specifically, the Weyburn oilfield, and we believe this is due to a number of factors including the closed loop design, specific operating techniques and also the operator's commitment to best practice,” Mackay said.

The study, which used a vehicle-based measurement technique, quantified fugitive and vented CH4 emissions from the Weyburn CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery field, which is operated by Whitecap Resources. In all, there were 211 active wells and 13 facilities sampled two or more times, spread out across 162 infrastructure sites.

“We also compared our results to other recent studies done in Canada and the U.S. and we found that our emission rate estimates and frequencies were lower compared to other developments, and also, our rates were orders of magnitude lower than proposed regulations,” added Mackay.

The emissions rate is estimated to be 0.5 cubic metres per day at the sites south of Weyburn, while the proposed federal venting caps are 110 cubic metres a day.

Mackay stated she was surprised, but also not surprised by the results, as compared to studies in other oil and gas developments, the historical work done by FluxLab in the Weyburn area has trended lower.

The complete study will be available in the IJGHGC in September.