Environmental Respect: ARC Resources

Facilities manager David Kehrig (l) and VP of production Al Roberts are on a mission to reduce ARC’s emissions.

The oil and gas company used Power Smart funding and expertise to make higher-efficiency choices all around, saving hundreds of thousands.

Respecting the environment is a corporate mandate of ARC Resources Ltd.: the Calgary-based oil and gas company is at the forefront of carbon management and even has an in-house eco-group.

So when ARC began design work on a new low-emissions gas plant in Dawson Creek in late 2008, it engaged BC Hydro in the process via its New Plant Design Initiative. “We wanted the facility to be electric-powered, and BC Hydro influenced the design inasmuch as we wound up installing variable frequency drives, high efficiency motors, and even larger diameter pipes that, in total, has saved us 3.6 gigawatt hours in energy consumption per year,” says ARC facilities manager David Kehrig.

ARC VP of production Al Roberts adds, “One reason for our success is that we engaged Power Smart during the initial stages of design, and I would encourage other companies to do the same if possible because it’s easier to appreciate the full scope of the project and identify savings opportunities.” Kehrig and Roberts single out BC Hydro’s Key Account Manager, Shuaul Qamar, “for helping us successfully navigate the Power Smart process.”

So successful was the partnership that ARC has extended it to include another new gas plant, to be located 24 kilometres west of Dawson Creek and commissioned in 2013. ARC and Power Smart have identified an additional 5.4 gigawatt hours per year of future energy savings at this new gas development project.
“A lot of good ideas are coming from BC Hydro’s Power Smart Industrial team, which will ultimately translate into increased efficiency and productivity as well as cost savings,” says Roberts.