On August 5th, 2020, Minister Nixon announced that government of Alberta has awarded $2 million in TIER funds to the PTAC Alberta Upstream Petroleum Research Fund (AUPRF) program. This program will allow Alberta’s oil and gas industry to continue developing cost-effective solutions that accurately detect methane emissions and to foster best practices that will propel us towards our ultimate goal of reducing methane emissions from oil and gas by 45%, an achievement that we are confident can also save industry $600 million per year.
Some of the new PTAC projects made possible through the TIER fund will build on our existing large-scale research projects, such as PTAC’s Fugitive Emissions Management Program Effectiveness Assessment, known as FEMP EA, and the Alberta Field Methane Challenge, which are both focused on methane leak detection, quantification, and repair. These new projects will further showcase the power of cooperation and collaboration between the Government of Alberta, the Alberta Energy Regulator, and industry.
For years, conventional wisdom has told us that we must choose between being green and being profitable – but PTAC has long believed we can, and should, do both. With this infusion of TIER funding, we will be able to do even more to create a responsible, sustainable oil and gas industry in Alberta.
Watch the announcement here: