The cleaner road to a sustainable future

As the cleanest burning hydrocarbon and a lower greenhouse gas emitter, natural gas is our best bet as a highly efficient alternative to coal-fired plants. It is also a good bet to help boost Canada’s “clean energy” image.

As industry and government leaders in Alberta attempt to manage an international environmental controversy focused on the oil sands around Fort McMurray, the province stands to benefit from shifting some of the focus to the virtues of natural gas as a key driver in the evolution to cleaner and more sustainable energy production.

Canada is the world’s third largest producer of natural gas, after the U.S. and Russia, with average annual production of 6.4 trillion cubic feet (tcf). Most of that comes from Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

Natural gas has also played a huge role in the prosperity of Alberta, the province many consider the country’s economic engine. Over the last decade, natural gas has been the biggest single source of natural resource royalty revenue for that province. Provincial budget figures show that over the last 10 years, natural gas has powered Alberta’s prosperity. In fact, at its peak in 2008 and 2009, natural gas accounted for half of the province’s resource revenue.

Proven emission-cutter

More importantly, natural gas plays a critical role in addressing Alberta’s and Canada’s international commitments to reduce emissions. It is already clear that we cannot “stop” climate change, no more than we can turn back the tide of industrial history, nor retrieve any time soon the carbon that has been emitted ever since the advent of the industrial age.

Instead, industry and consumers have begun a shift from the high-carbon economy of today and are turning to natural gas as a vital step in that evolution. While some hold out hope that wind, solar and biomass may emerge to serve future generations, none of these has developed commercially to even begin to displace fossil fuels.

Regardless, the shift begins with natural gas – the cleanest hydrocarbon we have. It is estimated that this fuel emits almost 30 per cent less carbon dioxide than oil, and nearly 45 per cent less carbon dioxide than coal, according to the U.S.-based Natural Gas Supply Association.  Most importantly, it is here today, while “clean” alternative energy sources remain either acts of the imagination (think harnessing tidal power, the electrolysis of sea water, or the development and combustion of biodiesels) or are waiting to make the transition from test-bench to economic viability.

Natural gas is a safe fuel

Conventional natural gas is a safe fuel. At the production site, deep underground and several hundred metres below the water table, the production pipe is perforated to allow the natural gas to flow into the well and to a network of pipes and facilities on the surface. It is a proven and safe method of natural gas production.

Where there remains some controversy is in shale gas extraction. As in the U.S., much of Canada’s gas reserves are now found in shale deposits, well below the hydrogeology of Alberta and British Columbia, two to three km underground.

Much of the shale gas in North America is in heavily populated areas and not all jurisdictions believe that can be done safely. Addressing these concerns may require investments in environmental safety, risk mitigation, public awareness and independent third-party monitoring.

“There are some concerns about the effects shale gas drilling has on the watershed, land-use footprint and increase in carbon dioxide emissions, among other environmental issues,” notes Canada’s National Energy Board, in a November 2009 Energy Brief on unconventional gas. “Drilling and hydraulically fracturing wells can be water-intensive procedures. . . . It is very early to make any conclusions about how developing this resource will impact the environment.”

The Pembina Institute, which advocates for sustainable development of natural resources based on science and evidence, argues that appropriate precautions, regulations and monitoring are the prerequisites to any extraction of unconventional gas, whether shale gas or coalbed methane.

“The government should require energy companies to submit project plans and undertake an environmental impact review of an entire project before applying for individual well licences,” it notes in its 2007 document Protecting Water, Producing Gas.

Indeed, says Pembina, “Landowners recognize the need for oil and gas development, and are willing to work with government and responsible companies towards extraction of the resource if water is effectively protected and if new challenges are quickly addressed as they arise. Keeping the public on-side requires: “A clear and transparent process, which involves all the stakeholders affected on an equal basis . . .”

Decades away from viable alternatives

The initial expense of the drilling, and the technology, can be offset both by production volumes and the innovation used to access the deep gas. In recent years, the innovative application of hydraulic fracturing in multiple stages in horizontal wells has opened the potential for many decades of supply for this cleaner-burning hydrocarbon. The pressure created by hydraulic fracturing causes the surrounding rock to crack, or fracture. A fluid (usually water with some additives) holds the crack open and suspended sand it, and creates a channel for the gas to flow into the well.

According to the Pembina Institute, we are at least two to three decades away from viable alternatives that would comprehensively replace fossil fuels as the planet’s primary energy source. But while we pursue those alternatives, we can make our production and use of fossil fuels more sustainable and less damaging to the biosphere.

Natural gas – cleaner, efficient and abundant – is not only a viable alternative, but also an energy source that will meet needs for decades to come.

Satya Das is based in Edmonton and specializes in energy issues.

Website: Troy Media