Directive 013: Suspension Requirements for Wells
Effective date: October 19, 2022
Replaces previous edition issued December 1, 2021.
Released with Bulletin 2022-32.
Purpose of this Directive
This directive sets out suspension, inspection, and reactivation requirements for wells, as required under section 3.020 of the Oil and Gas Conservation Rules.
Note: Well status (set through Petrinex) and licence status (set through the Digital Data Submission system) should align. For a list of valid combinations, refer to the well/licence status matrix linked below.
The table below sets out the designated information submission system to use when submitting information under Directive 013.
Item | Designated Information Submission System |
BGWP depth for a well | DDS > AER > Reports > Base Groundwater Protection |
Surface abandonments | OneStop > Close > Abandonment > Wells |
Inactive well licence list | DDS > AER > Reports > Licence > View/Download Inactive Well Licence List |
Well suspension submissions | OneStop > Operate > Reporting > Well Suspension > Initial Suspension |
Industry well inspection submissions | OneStop > Operate > Reporting > Well Suspension > Industry Inspections |
Well reactivation submissions | OneStop > Operate > Reporting > Well Suspension > Reactivation |
As of February 18, 2018, all system issues related to submitting well suspension reports have been fixed and functionality has been fully restored in OneStop. The bulk uploading function for well suspension reports, including initial suspension reports and ongoing inspection reports, has also been enabled in OneStop. Deadlines for submitting initial well suspension reports and initial and ongoing inspection reports have been extended until March 31, 2019.
Any questions related to Directive 013, the Inactive Well Compliance Program, the Inactive Well Licence List, and suspension submissions on the AER Digital Data Submission (DDS) system can be sent to the welloperations inbox (@email). Please read Directive 013, Bulletin 2014-19, and related FAQs and make sure that your questions are not already answered in one of these documents since they will be deemed lower priority due to the high volume of emails received on a daily basis.
Inactive Well Compliance Program
The Inactive Well Compliance Program (IWCP) is a five-year program that was implemented in April 2015. The objective of the program was to bring into compliance a backlog of noncompliant inactive wells that did not meet the requirements of Directive 013. The compliance deadline for the fifth and final year of the program was deferred from April 1, 2020 to September 1, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, per Ministerial Order 219/2020 and AER Bulletin 2020-10: Relief for Industry During COVID-19 Pandemic Response.
The IWCP Year Five and Program Summary Report summarizes the progress of program through year five to its conclusion in March 2021. The IWCP Year One Final Report, IWCP Year Two Final Report, and IWCP Year Three and Four Final Report are also available.
Licensee-specific compliances for each year of the program and the results at program conclusion are available in spreadsheet form in the IWCP Annual Target Quota and Progress Report.
Digital Data Submission (DDS) system reporting
Inactive Well Licence List [XLS] (updated daily)*
*The Inactive Well Licence List has been updated to include all inactive wells in the province comprising of wells that are excluded for Directive 013 suspension requirements as well. The update also includes a column that helps users identify Medium Risk Type 6 Wells (low risk wells inactive longer than 10 years).
Well / Licence Status Matrix [XLS] (updated April 2012)
Directive 013 and Inactive Well Compliance Program FAQs [PDF] (updated March 11, 2016)