Alberta Energy and Utilities Board
News Release
For Immediate Release
Calgary, Alberta (August 4, 2005) The Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) today issued ST 101-2005: Sulphur Recovery and Sulphur Emissions at Alberta Sour Gas Plants, which summarizes sulphur recovery results at 41 sour gas plants across Alberta.
ST 101-2005 provides a progress report on industry's compliance with Interim Directive (ID) 2001-3: Sulphur Recovery Guidelines for the Province of Alberta (ID 2001-3), issued August 29, 2001. The guidelines established stringent new requirements for sulphur emissions, provided a schedule for existing plants to meet the same sulphur recovery requirements as new plants, and encouraged operators to take early action to improve performance.
The new report shows major improvements due to improved performance and decreased sulphur throughput in plants which did not meet ID 2001-3 requirements for new plants in 2001, also known as grandfathered plants. According to the new report, sulphur emissions have decreased from 2000 through 2004 for both grandfathered acid gas flaring plants (down 39 per cent) and grandfathered sulphur recovery plants (down 28 per cent).
Overall, emissions from grandfathered plants have fallen by approximately 30 per cent from 2000 through 2004. This represents a decrease of approximately 60 tonnes of sulphur emissions (120 tonnes of sulphur dioxide emissions) per day in Alberta.
Since 2000, eleven plants have made upgrades to meet the new requirements, four plants have been relicensed, and four plants have ceased operating.
The EUB ensures that the discovery, development, and delivery of Alberta's resources take place in a manner that is fair, responsible, and in the public interest.
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This news release, ST 101-2005, and ID 2001-3 are available on the EUB Web site at http://www.eub.gov.ab.ca.For more information, please contact:
Davis Sheremata
EUB Communications
Phone: 403-297-2252
Fax: 403-297-3757
Email: [email protected]