These articles by our expert team cover the details of various decisions made by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), Alberta Utilities Commision (AUC), and Canada Energy Regulator (CER). Browse our searchable archive below to learn more about the results we’ve achieved for our clients.
Link to Bulletin Summarized Download Summary in PDF Oil and Gas – Abandonment The Government of Alberta approved a levy of $135 million to fund the Orphan Well Association’s (“OWA”) operating budget for the fiscal year 2024/25. As a result, the AER prescribed an...
Link to Bulletin Summarized Download Summary in PDF Oil and Gas – Revenue Requirement For 2024/25, the Government of Alberta approved a revenue requirement of $225.2 million to support the AER’s operations. The AER published the administration fees allocated according...
Link to Bulletin Summarized Download Summary in PDF Applications - Process The AER announced new functionality and enhancements to its OneStop platform. The AER will post notice and schedule a system outage to implement these changes. The changes relate to the...
Link to Bulletin Summarized Download Summary in PDF Facilities – Partial Reclamation In December 2023, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (“AEPA”) announced the Interim directive: pilot for site reductions on well sites (Land Policy, 2023, No.2), regarding a...
Link to Bulletin Summarized Download Summary in PDF Oil and Gas – Land Reclamation On December 14, 2023, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (“AEPA”) released the Interim directive: pilot for reclaiming peatlands - decision framework and support tools for...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas – Regulatory Appeal Application This decision dealt with the regulatory appeal by AlphaBow Energy Ltd. (“AlphaBow”) of two orders issued by the AER’s Closure and Liability Management branch (“CLM”). CLM issued the first order on...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas – Development Rules The AER released Directive 091: Rock-Hosted Mineral Resource Development as part of the regulatory framework for rock-hosted mineral resource development. Directive 091 will come into effect once the...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas - Facilities Application ATCO Pipelines (“AP”) requested approval of the 2024 revenue requirement of $362,852,000 on an interim and refundable basis. Decision The AUC approved AP’s 2024 interim revenue requirement of...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil – Facilities To eliminate duplicative or obsolete requirements, the AER rescinded Directive 026: Setback Requirements for Oil Effluent Pipelines (“Directive 026”), effective immediately. The AER also rescinded the Directive 026 related...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil - Facilities On February 8, 2024, the Alberta Energy Regulator (“AER”) released a new edition of Directive 023: Oil Sands Project Applications (“Directive 023”), effective immediately. Directive 023 replaced the May 2013 draft edition....
Link to Decision Summarized Gas - Facilities Application Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC (“Trans Mountain”), pursuant to s 190 of the Canadian Energy Regulator Act , submitted an application to vary (“Application”) Schedule A of Certificate of Public Convenience and...
Link to Decision Summarized Review and Variance – Administrative Penalty Application Green Block Mining Corp. (“Green Block”) requested a 30-day extension for payment of the penalty ordered in Decision 26379-D05-2023, which directed payment of an administrative...
Link to Decision Summarized Rates – Revenue Requirement Application ATCO Pipelines (“AP”) requested approval of the 2024 revenue requirement of $362,852,000 on an interim and refundable basis. Decision The AUC approved AP’s 2024 interim revenue requirement of...
Link to Decision Summarized Gas – Facilities Application PGI Processing ULC (“PGI”) applied for approval to construct and operate a new 33-megawatt cogeneration power plant within the fenceline of the existing Kaybob #3 South Gas Plant (the “K3 Plant”) near Fox Creek,...
Link to Decision Summarized Gas - Facilities Application ATCO Gas and Pipelines Ltd (“ATCO”) applied for approval to construct and operate 1.4 kilometers of new 219.1-millimeter high-pressure natural gas pipeline and related above-ground facilities (the “Project”)...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil – Rates Application Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC (“Trans Mountain”) applied for approval of firm service recontracting for 47,500 barrels per day (“bpd”) of capacity to the Westridge Marine Terminal for a period ending after six months...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas - Facilities Application Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC (“Trans Mountain”) filed an application requesting a variance of Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity OC-065 (the “Certificate”). The variance involved a change to...
Link to Decision Summarized Gas - Tolls Application Trans-Northern Pipelines Inc. (“TNPI”) filed an application requesting approval of the Incentive Tolls Settlement Agreement (“ITSA”), including: the framework for establishing TNPI’s revenue requirement and tolls set...
Link to Decision Summarized Gas - Rates Application ATCO Gas, a division of ATCO Gas and Pipelines Ltd. (“ATCO Gas”) submitted for approval its third-generation performance-based regulation (“PBR3”) plan compliance filing and 2024 PBR annual rate adjustment...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas - Facilities The AER released a new edition of Manual 023 Licensee Life-Cycle Management that includes clarifications based on feedback received as part of the ongoing implementation of the Government of Alberta’s Liability...
Link to Decision Summarized Facilities - Approval Requirement Application Enforcement staff of the AUC (“Enforcement Staff”), following an investigation prompted by a noise complaint, filed an application with the AUC alleging that Energy Sustain Service Ltd. (“ESS”)...
Link to Decision Summarized Rates - Transmission Costs Application ATCO Gas, a division of ATCO Gas and Pipelines Ltd. (“ATCO Gas”), requested approval of Rider T, which collects forecast transmission costs based on flow-through rates charged by NOVA Gas Transmission...
Link to Decision Summarized Rules – Survey Plan Requirements The Alberta Forestry and Parks has revised the Public Lands Administration Regulation Table A2: Alberta Energy Regulator (“PLAR”) replacing the requirement for a survey plan for many dispositions with a...
Link to Decision Summarized Gas - Facilities Application Apex Utilities Inc. (“AUI”) applied for approval to install the Drumheller High Pressure Pipeline Project, consisting of approximately 1,040 meters (“m”) of new 114.3-millimeter (“mm”) natural gas pipeline as...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas - law On November 15, 2023, the AER released a new edition of the Pipeline Rules, which came in force on the same day. The amended Pipeline Rules: allow the use of temporary surface pipelines for water conveyance in support of...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas - Pipelines The AER temporarily paused new pipeline application submissions through OneStop from November 6, 2023, to November 16, 2023, in response to the new Pipeline Rules release scheduled for November 15, 2023. The...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas – Facilities The AER is implementing a reclamation liability reduction program (the “Program”), with an anticipated release in the spring of 2024. The Program is intended to allow licensees to request a temporary reduction of...
Link to Decision Summarized Minerals – Development The AER sought feedback on its proposed new Draft Directive: Rock-Hosted Mineral Resource Development (“Draft Directive”). The Draft Directive sets out the industry's requirements for rock-hosted mineral resource...
Link to Decision Summarized Market - Enforcement Application Enforcement staff of the AUC (“Enforcement Staff”) applied to the AUC for approval of a settlement agreement between Enforcement Staff and Persist Oil & Gas Inc. (“Persist”) related to a contravention...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas - Supplemental Closure Spending Licensees must spend a minimum amount annually on abandoning, remediating and reclaiming their inactive oil and gas sites. In Bulletin 2023-31: Industry-Wide Closure Spend Requirement for 2024,...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas - Facilities The AER announced that it would contact applicable licensees by email to validate the operational life-cycle status of their facilities, as an one-time supplemental data request. Additional information is required...
Link to Decision Summarized Rules - Applications for Review The AUC proposed amendments to Rule 016: Review of Commission Decisions as part of the ongoing review of its case management procedures and its objective of improving the transparency, clarity and simplicity...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas - Environment On September 7, 2023, the AER reminded licensees of the beginning of the migratory bird season in Alberta and their responsibility to follow waterfowl protection plans to protect migratory bird populations....
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas - Well Abandonment On September 5, 2023, the Alberta Energy Regulator (“AER”) released a new edition of Directive 020: Well Abandonment (“Directive 020”), which sets out the requirements for routine abandonment of wells...
Link to Decision Summarized Reasonable Care and Measures Order - Appeal Application AlphaBow Energy Ltd. (“AlphaBow”) applied to the Alberta Court of Appeal (“ABCA”) for permission to appeal a suspension order issued by the Alberta Energy Regulator (“AER”) on June 5,...
Link to Bulletin Summarized Oil and Gas - Facilities The AER implemented an inventory reduction program described in Directive 088: Licensee Life-Cycle Management under the Government of Alberta’s Liability Management Framework, which involves setting an industry-wide...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas - Facilities Application MGM Energy Corp. (“MGM”) applied for an authorization to inspect ten wells and four associated drilling sumps (the “Application”) in the Mackenzie Delta, within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region,...
Link to Bulletin Summarized Oil and Gas - Facilities The AER noted a 69% increase in the number of pipeline incidents related to contact damage during ground disturbance (26 incidents in 2020 to 44 incidents in 2022) over the past three years. The AER was particularly...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas - Facilities Application By a letter decision issued on June 28, 2023, the CER approved Inuvialuit Energy Security Project Ltd. (“IESPL”) well workover application (the “WW Application”) for the Inuvialuit Energy Security...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil and Gas - Facilities Application By a letter decision issued on June 28, 2023, the CER approved an application from Inuvialuit Energy Security Project Ltd. (“IESPL”) for authorization for early site works (the “ESW Application”) for the...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil – Judicial Review/Appeal Appeal This was an appeal by the Alberta Minister of Energy (“Minister” or “Appellant”) from an Alberta Court of King’s Bench order on judicial review. The judicial review judge quashed the Minister’s screening...
Link to Decision Summarized Facilities - Industrial System Designation Application TransCanada Keystone Pipeline GP Ltd (“Keystone”) filed an application seeking a review and variance of the CER decision for Phase 1 of the RH-005-2020 (“Decision”) proceeding (the...
Link to Bulletin Summarized Minerals – Resource Development The AER updated its Digital Data Submission system to enable the collection, in the pressure ASCII standard (PAS) file, of the data required to be submitted by licensees pursuant to requirement 79 of...
Link to Bulletin Summarized Oil and Gas - Geothermal Resources On July 4, 2023, the Alberta Energy Regulator released a new edition of Directive 001: Requirements for Site-Specific Liability Assessment, which includes the following changes: Removal of irrelevant or...
Link to Decision Summarized Facilities - Industrial System Designation Application Tidewater Midstream and Infrastructure Ltd. (“Tidewater”) applied for approval to construct and operate the 16.5-megawatt (“MW”) natural gas-fired Brazeau Cogeneration Plant (the “Power...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil/Gas – Amendment Application Application On March 8, 2022, the CER approved the development plan for the proposed Inuvialuit Energy Security Project (the “IESP”). Subsequently, Inuvialuit Energy Security Project Ltd. (“IESPL”) provided,...
Link to Decision Summarized Oil - Unit to Produce Oil Application Xenotime Energy Inc. (“Xenotime”) applied for a compulsory pooling order prescribing that all tracts within the drilling spacing unit in the northwest quarter of Section 15, Township 50, Range 4, West...
Link to Bulletin Summarized Oil - Well Abandonment The AER sought feedback on updates to Directive 020: Well Abandonment. Changes were proposed to section 5.4, which would amend the requirements for the abandonment of cased-hole wells penetrating an oil sands zone....
Link to Decision Summarized Oil/Gas - Water – Permission to Appeal Application TransAlta Corporation (“TransAlta”) brought three applications for permission to appeal decisions of the Alberta Energy Regulator (“AER”). Decision The two applications for permission to...
Link to Decision Summarized Rates - Franchise Agreement Application ATCO Gas and Pipelines Ltd. (“ATCO Gas”) applied for approval of a natural gas franchise agreement (the “Agreement”), including a franchise fee of 13 percent, with the City of Cold Lake for 10 years...