AB: Temporary Pause on New Pipeline Applications |
On November 15, 2023, a new edition of the Government of Alberta’s Pipeline Rules will come into effect, and the AER will release new pipelines functionality in OneStop.
To prepare for this upcoming change, the AER will temporarily pause new pipeline application submissions through OneStop from Monday, November 6, 2023, to Thursday, November 16, 2023. There will be a complete outage on November 15, 2023.
Applications submitted before November 6, 2023, will be processed according to the current version of the Pipeline Rules and all associated regulatory instruments. Applications received after November 16, 2023, will be processed according to the amended Pipeline Rules and all associated regulatory instruments.
The unsubmitted draft applications in OneStop may be impacted by the changes and could be deleted or have responses cleared. Ensure to save your drafts.
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AB: Invitation for Feedback on Proposed New Requirements for Rock-Hosted Mineral Resource Development |
The Mineral Resources Development Act (MRDA), in force December 2, 2021, is being implemented in two phases.
In phase 1, the Government of Alberta proclaimed the parts of the MRDA relating to brine-hosted mineral resources in March 2023.
In phase 2, proclamation of the parts of the MRDA relating to rock-hosted mineral resources is anticipated in 2024.
The AER is seeking feedback on the proposed new directive: Draft Directive: Rock-Hosted Mineral Resource Development. Feedback will be accepted through November 30, 2023.
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AB: Licensee-Specific Closure Quotas - Reminder |
Each oil and gas licensee with inactive wells and facilities is required to meet an individual annual mandatory closure spend quota.
Licensees are reminded that financial submissions under Directive 067 (Schedule 3) must be submitted within 180 days after fiscal year end. Licensees can view their 2024 mandatory closure spend quota in OneStop.
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AB: Reclamation Liability Reduction Program Being Developed |
The AER is developing a program aimed at reflecting industry’s site closure activities by allowing licensees to request a temporary reduction of the liability values used in the AER’s liability management programs once reclamation work has been completed but before a reclamation certificate is issued under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA).
The liability value reduction is expected to be valid for five years or until a reclamation certificate is obtained, whichever happens first. The AER is currently developing a OneStop submission process for this program, with an anticipated release in spring 2024.
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AB: Modernized Royalty Framework Guideline Updates |
On October 20, 2023, the Alberta Energy announced an update to the Modernized Royalty Framework (MRF) guidelines as to provide better clarity to industry regarding acid only fractures in C* calculations. Version 2.3 is now published on the Alberta Energy website (https://www.alberta.ca/oil-guidelines) and supersedes version 2.2.
Additional information can be found here: IB 2023-04
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SK: Helium-Lithium Co-Development Tenure Policy |
On October 16, 2023, SER issued BT2023-011 that allows Crown disposition holders that were issued rights for either helium and associated gases or brine minerals, such as lithium, prior to October 16, 2023 to consent to overlapping tenure of the other commodity in the same stratigraphic horizon and land location.
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BC: New Edition of CSA Z662 and New Pipeline Notification Process |
On October 6, 2023, the BCER reminded that The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) released a new edition of CSA Z662 Oil and Gas Pipeline Systems in June 2023. Several CSA standards, including CSA Z662, are available to download at no fee.
Notifications for Pipeline Activity
Effective July 10, 2023, a notification permission is to be included in all new pipeline permits and amendments, to provide permit holders a means of notifying the BCER of administrative and/or pipeline activity where an amendment is not necessary.
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Notifications can be submitted through e-Submission after the notification permission has been added to the pipeline permit.
- If the pipeline permit does not include the notification permission, permit holders must submit an amendment application.
- Once the permission has been added, the permit holder may use the notification process for future pipeline changes that meet the criteria for notification.
Additional information can be found here: TU 2023-15
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