Invitation to Submit a Nomination to Close Inactive Wells & Facilities
Effective immediately, the AER is accepting nominations from eligible individuals and groups to close inactive or abandoned oil and gas wells and facilities. This follows Bulletin 2023-4: New Editions of Directive 088 and Manual 023 that we issued on February 13, 2023, which introduced closure nomination.
Eligible individuals and groups can nominate wells or facilities that have been inactive or abandoned for five or more years and meet certain criteria by submitting a closure nomination form to the AER. A separate form must be completed for each well or facility nominated. Section 4.3.1 of Manual 023: Licensee Lifecycle Management outlines eligibility criteria and licensee expectations. Information about accepted nominations, including closure plan information and the progress of closure activities, will be posted on a public dashboard.
Licensees of nominated wells and facilities will be notified at the beginning of the month following the date we accept the nomination. Following the next OneStop release on April 19, 2023, licensees can access information about the nominations through OneStop and will be required to submit related information, including closure plans, through a licensee response form also on OneStop.
Closure nomination requirements are part of the AER’s Inventory Reduction Program and support Alberta’s Liability Management Framework. If you have any questions, please contact @email or our Customer Contact Centre by phone at 1-855-297-8311 or by email at @email.