Today, we published revised editions of Directive 088: Licensee Life-Cycle Management and Manual 023: Licensee Life-Cycle Management.
A draft version of Directive 088, which included proposed changes to closure nomination, was released for public comment on October 14, 2025. Feedback was accepted until November 12, 2025 (see Bulletin 2025-32). A summary of the feedback received and our response is available on the Directive 088 landing page.
The changes described below may affect nominated wells and facilities and approved closure nomination closure plans. We will notify the affected licensees directly and update the Closure Nomination Dashboard accordingly.
The revisions to the directive and manual (see below) reflect the feedback we received concerning closure nominations, as well as additional changes we are making concerning closure quotas and directed closure.
Closure Nomination:
- Clarified and refined the closure nomination process in the directive and manual. A new “CN Licensee Response Form” is available in OneStop that licensees use to select a closure plan option for nominated sites.
- Clarified and updated closure activities and maximum allowable timelines with two new tables (1 and 2), replacing the previous table 1 in Directive 088:
- Table 1 now lists only the mandatory closure activities and revised baseline closure plan timelines for completion for all eligible nominated sites. All closure plans will include these activities.
- Table 2 lists only the closure activities and baseline closure plan timelines that may apply to an eligible nominated site under certain circumstances (e.g., site requires remediation because of contamination). These activities will be added to a closure plan when necessary.
- Clarified reporting methods through the addition of table 3 (Directive 088) and table 7 (Manual 023).
- Revised requirements and expectations concerning closure plans and closure activity completions in Directive 088.
- Added appendix 6 to Manual 023 to illustrate various scenarios on how closure plans change and are reported.
Closure Quotas:
- Replaced the term “mandatory closure spend” with “licensee quota” in Directive 088 and Manual 023.
- Replaced the term “industry‑wide closure spend” with “industry closure quota” in Manual 023.
Directed Closure:
- Added a section on directed closure to section 4 of Directive 088 (Inventory Reduction Program). This section outlines our authority under the Oil and Gas Conservation Rules and the Pipeline Rules to direct the timing and priority of closure work.
The revised directive is available on the Directive 088 landing page, and Manual 023 is available on the manuals webpage.
If you have any questions, contact our Customer Contact Centre by phone at 1-855-297-8311 or by email at inquiries@aer.ca.
