Two sustainable energy initiatives launched in Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan government says two new sustainable energy initiatives are a “win-win” for both the economy and methane reduction in the province.

The first initiative, the Saskatchewan Emissions Inventory, expands methane modelling and measurement.

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources said it will apply data to generate a point-in-time database of emissions information.

It will also list larger sources of emissions to help determine economic options for emission reduction, provide detailed reporting, and provide scenarios for zero-flaring.

The second initiative, the Gas Commercialization Mapping (GCM) Service, highlights methane-concentrated areas and allows the energy sector to better plan and collaborate on scaled methane capture and commercialization projects, including with Crown utilities.

Officials said the GCM service initiative fulfills commitments the province made under its methane action plan by providing geographic information of regions where volumes of methane gas venting and flaring occur.

The ministry said the new initiatives will ensure the province remains one of the most sustainable energy producers in the world.

“These two initiatives will support Saskatchewan’s already strong record on methane, which includes a reduction in emissions by 50 per cent five years ahead of schedule,” said Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre in a statement Monday.

“We continue to ask the federal government to share its emissions data, which is gathered from other jurisdictions, such as Alberta or Texas, and broadly applied to Saskatchewan. These two provincial initiatives will help mitigate the negative impacts of these inaccurate representations.”

The federal government announced a plan in October 2021 to reduce oil and gas emissions by at least 75 per cent below 2012 levels by 2030.

According to the ministry, the province’s methane action plan aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from flaring and venting in the upstream oil and gas industry by 40 to 45 per cent from 2015 levels by 2025.

Officials said this is the equivalent of 4.5 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

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