Alberta has eliminated the gas flaring limit in 2024.

Calculations show that energy producers in Alberta, Canada’s largest oil producing province, exceeded the self-imposed provincial limit for annual gas flaring by 2024, for the second consecutive year.

Alberta's energy regulator announced late last week that it would be ending the flaring limit. The regulator, who quietly posted a bulletin to its website, is the first one to report this change.

The regulator confirmed Monday that the limit had been removed and stated it was in response to the direction of the provincial government.

Canada is the world's number one oil producer. Canada, the world's No. 4 oil producer, has been working to diversify its exports and move away from U.S. markets since Donald Trump became president.

Canadian energy companies are hoping that Prime Minister Mark Carney is more than he was.

Accommodation

Justin Trudeau, his predecessor, was less supportive of the industry.

The Alberta Energy Regulator's data indicates that oil and gas producers flared approximately 912,7 million cubic meters of natural gas during 2024. This is 36% more than the provincial limit of 670 millions cubic metres.

In 2023, the province exceeded its limit. Data from regulatory agencies showed that 753 million cubic meters of flares were produced in total each year.

The practice of flaring is to burn off excess natural gas from oil production. Companies often decide to flare gas by-products if the volume is small and there aren't any pipelines to transport it.

The World Bank says that eliminating the practice will reduce the amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere by at least 381 millions tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent.

Ryan Fournier is the spokesperson for Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Shulz. He said that in an email, the province had launched a review on its flare gas policy, after the oil-and-gas industry exceeded its limit for the very first time in the year 2023.

He said that the province had determined that the 20-year old flaring limit was no longer an effective policy to reduce flaring, and it did not take into account the increased oil production or the new strategies for emissions reduction in the province.

Requests for comments from the federal ministries of energy and environment were not immediately responded to.

Alberta's crude production reached a record-breaking 1.5 billion barrels in 2024, an increase of 4.5% over 2023.

The Alberta Energy Regulator's 2022 report showed that flaring in the province has been increasing since 2016.

The World Bank's 2024 report -- which advocates an end to routine flaring worldwide by 2030 -- found flaring by oil companies increased by 7% in 2023, even though crude oil production only rose by 1% during the same period.

Amanda Bryant is a senior oil and energy analyst at the Pembina Institute, a think tank that promotes clean energy. She said that while flaring may be better for the environment, than other methods such as venting gas, it still emits a number of byproducts, greenhouse gases, and black soot into the air.

She stated that companies can invest in equipment to capture flare gas on site and redirect it back to production to be used as fuel.

Bryant stated in an interview that "removing the rule does not solve the problem." The role of the regulator should be to protect our resources and prevent any harmful effects of industry. (Reporting from Amanda Stephenson, Calgary; Editing and production by Caroline Stauffer and David Gregorio.)

(source: Reuters)