Efforts Aimed at Curbing Oil Sands Emissions May Nip Gas Use Uptick

摘要

A ramp-up in the development of Alberta's oil sands should be a boon for natural gas demand in the province, but efforts to improve efficiency and lessen the environmental impact of oil sands production could take a bite out of that bump. Alberta produced 9.8 billion cubic feet of gas per day in 2012, representing more than two-thirds of Canada's overall production of 15.1 Bcf/d. However, demand for that gas has suffered greatly since the US shale revolution flooded North America with cheap natural gas and decreased Canadian exports to the US by more than 25% (NGW Oct.7'13).