Energy Efficiency Improvements and GHG Emissions Reduction Project
Project Update: Nov. 2021
TAQA North is pleased to announce that the Energy Efficiency Improvements & GHG Emissions Reduction Project at its Crossfield plant is officially complete. In late October 2021, construction on the project finished and the plant’s new acid gas injection (AGI) well became operational. The large red and white incinerator stack is no longer in use and all H2S and CO2 gases are now being permanently sequestered below ground.
In addition to extending the operational life of the Crossfield plant, the new AGI well and other energy efficiency improvements combined have reduced the plant’s total GHG and Criterial Air Contaminant emissions.
TAQA North would once again like to thank the residents of Crossfield and the surrounding area for supporting this project. The successful implementation of the AGI well will help ensure safe and reliable operations continue well into the future.
Project Benefits
The project’s benefits include:
Elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from the incinerator stack and reduction of total greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent.
Elimination of fossil fuel consumption required for sulphur recovery operations and significant reduction in total fossil fuel consumption by the plant.
Reduction of criteria air contaminants (nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter) emissions by over 80 per cent.
Continued economic benefits to the surrounding community and government royalties.
About the Project
The East Crossfield Gas Plant produces saleable products including sweet natural gas, condensate and liquified petroleum gases from natural gas collected in the surrounding area. Previously, it also produced sulphur. Sour gas production in the area is declining and was forecast to fall below the level required for the facility to efficiently recover sulphur. A review of alternatives to address this situation resulted in the decision to convert the plant from sulphur recovery to Acid Gas Injection (AGI), a process that is now concluded. In addition to converting to AGI, the project included several other initiatives designed to significantly reduce plant emissions and improve overall efficiency.
Acid gas (carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide) is a by-product of the plant’s sweetening process. Prior to the project’s completion, the acid gas stream was processed to yield sulphur for sales, and residual acid gas was mixed with supplemental fuel gas and incinerated. Significant quantities of greenhouse gas emissions (primarily carbon dioxide) resulted from this operation.
Now, the completed AGI well safely directs all the acid gas to compression and subsequent injection back into the producing underground sour gas reservoir from which it originated, located 2.7 km below the surface of the lands that surround the plant. The elimination of sulphur processing, will result in zero emissions from the incinerator stack. Supplemental fuel gas, which was burned in the incinerator, is also no longer required.
Project Activities
The project’s activities included:
Removing the incinerator stack from operation
Adding the ability for the plant to compress and inject acid gas
Modifying plant process, boilers and compression to increase energy efficiency
Drilling an injection well to sequester acid gases