Air Quality

Husky addresses local and regional air quality and assesses equipment and facilities to seek ways to mitigate climate-related impacts.

Emissions

Husky continues to focus on emission reduction activities, including capturing carbon dioxide (CO2), minimizing fugitive emissions and managing flaring and venting activities, as well as reducing its energy consumption.

Carbon dioxide is captured at the Lloydminster Ethanol Plant to aid in enhanced oil recovery (EOR), which involves CO2 being injected into reservoirs to increase oil production. The plant captures up to 250 tonnes a day of CO2, with more than 225,000 tonnes used for EOR in heavy oil fields between 2012 and December 2015. About 30 tonnes of CO2 a day are captured in an initial pilot project at the Pikes Peak South Lloyd Thermal Project for use in EOR. The Company is evaluating additional technologies.

The Company measures and reports emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and criteria air contaminants, such as sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx as NO2 equivalent). This provides an opportunity to forecast and evaluate reported emissions at the corporate and individual facility level.

Air quality and carbon management programs achieve regulatory compliance and are supported by Husky’s Environmental Performance Reporting System, providing for transparency and consistent data.

Gas Conservation

The Company estimates overall solution gas conservation at its Alberta operations in 2015 was 95.6 percent. Husky’s total volume of flared and vented gas in Alberta has declined by 4.6 percent since 2012, while the Company’s oil production in the province increased by two percent over the same period. Data from the annual Alberta Energy Regulator’s Upstream Petroleum Industry Flaring and Venting Report shows Husky’s gas conservation remains comparable to the industry average.

Fugitive Emission Management Program

The Fugitive Emission Management Program detects and repairs leaking equipment to reduce emissions. It improves the Company’s operating efficiency by tracking where and when leaks occur and minimizing the release of greenhouse gases.

Fugitive emissions are hydrocarbon leaks, including methane and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), from valves, piping connections, pumps and compressor seals, and other piping system components that occur as part of the normal operation of a plant. Husky uses a number of techniques to detect a leaking component, including highly specialized infrared cameras that provide a view of normally inaccessible locations such as tank seals and overhead piping from a distance, and ultrasonic detection, which identifies leaking components using sound. Vapour analyzers and ultrasonic measurements can be used to quantify an emission.

Data on fugitive emissions is stored in a central system, allowing for timely notification of surveys and repairs, and the tracking of components and reporting.