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China relies heavily on coal for power generation, and the demand for coal in a country of this size makes China the world's largest carbon dioxide emitter; hence China is pursuing greener pathways for power generation. Importing shale gas in the form of LNG from Canada is one such pathway. It starts with the recovery of shale gas in Canada and its export to China. This paper quantifies well-to-wire (WTW) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per kilowatt hour (kWh) of Canadian shale gas-fuelled electricity in China through models. WTW emissions include emissions from recovery, processing, transmission, liquefaction, marine shipping, re-gasification, power plant operations, and electricity transmission and distribution. Four Canadian shale gas reserves – Montney, Horn River, Liard, and Cordova – are considered. The results show that the WTW GHG emissions of Canadian shale gas-fired combined cycle technology range from 567 to 610 gCO 2 /kWh (57–62% of the GHG emissions from China's present coal-fired electricity), and total well-to-port (WTP) GHG emissions (emissions from recovery, processing, and transmission to a liquefaction facility) range from 7.68 to 13.4 gCO 2e /MJ. Sensitivity analysis results show that venting emissions during raw gas processing, flaring rates during well completion, and lifetime productivity of the gas significantly influence WTP emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this study is to develop a bottom-up life cycle assessment model to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the Canadian oil sands supply to China. Two pathways were considered. In pathway I, extracted bitumen is sent to Edmonton for upgrading and pipelined to the Westridge terminal near Vancouver, then shipped to a port in China. In pathway II, extracted bitumen is mixed with diluent, directly pipelined to the Westridge terminal, and shipped to China. The results from both the pipeline and the shipping models suggest that pathway I has better GHG emissions than pathway II on a per-barrel basis. GHG emissions are 2.4–3.5 times lower in pipelining synthetic crude oil (SCO) to Westridge than in pipelining dilbit, without and with a diluent return. The emissions range from 826 − 401 + 701 g CO 2 eq/bbl for SCO, 1819 − 719 + 1172 for dilbit without diluent return, and 2684 − 1065 + 1374 g CO 2 eq/bbl for dilbit with a diluent return. Shipping SCO has 15% fewer emissions than shipping dilbit. The shipping emissions are due to fuel use in the main engine. The emissions for shipping are 5536 − 914 + 966 g CO 2 /bbl for dilbit and 4034 − 822 + 899 g CO 2 /bbl for SCO. • GHG emission performances of Canadian oil sands supply to China were identified. • Pipeline GHG emissions range from 826 − 401 + 701 to 1819 − 719 + 1172 g CO 2 eq/bbl. • Shipping synthetic crude oil has 15% fewer GHG emissions than shipping dilbit. • Shipping GHG emissions ranges from 4034 − 822 + 899 to 5536 − 914 + 966 g CO 2 /bbl. • The synthetic crude oil supply pathway has a higher GHG performance than the dilbit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]