Today we published new editions of Directive 051: Injection and Disposal Wells – Well Classifications, Completions, Logging, and Testing Requirements and Manual 011: How to Submit Volumetric Data to the AER.
The following are the key revisions to Directive 051:
- High-water content hydraulic fracturing system flowback is listed as a class II fluid.
- New requirements around the class II deepwell disposal of high-water content hydraulic fracturing system flowback are outlined.
- Other changes have been made throughout the directive to acknowledge that fluids other than produced water and brine equivalents may be authorized for class II deepwell disposal.
- A new table clarifies fluid criteria for class 1a and class 1b disposal wells.
- A new requirement has been added regarding minimizing cellar space.
- New definitions have been added.
- References to the Mineral Resource Development Act and Brine-Hosted Mineral Resource Development Rules are included to provide explicit clarification that Directive 051 must be followed for brine-hosted mineral development.
- The Well Summary for Injection or Disposal form has been updated to clarify the obligation to confirm that fluids being disposed originate from an Alberta source.
Manual 011 has also been revised to include guidance for reporting class II deepwell disposal of high-water content hydraulic fracturing system flowback.
A draft version of Directive 051 was released for public comment on March 17, 2026. Feedback was accepted until April 16, 2026 (see Bulletin 2026-10). A summary of the feedback received, and our response is available on the Directive 051 landing page. The revised edition of Directive 051 is available on its landing page. Manual 011 is available on the manuals webpage. The form is available on the directive forms webpage.
If you have questions about Directive 051, Manual 011, or the form, contact our Customer Contact Centre by phone at 1-855-297-8311 or email inquiries@aer.ca.
