At least 10,000 oil and gas wells will be restored by 2036 as part of the BC Oil and Gas Commission’s Dormancy Regulation announced May 31.
Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Michelle Mungall said the Comprehensive Liability Management Plan will ensure 100% of the cost of reclaiming oil and gas sites continues is paid for by industry.
“These changes to better manage inactive sites and orphan wells are the result of legislation our government brought in last spring that provides the BC Oil and Gas Commission with the tools it needs to better protect our land and water,” Mungall said.
The minister stressed the plan puts no direct cost on B.C. residents, protects public safety and safeguards the environment.
She said the plan would speed up the rate at which sites are restored to their pre-activity state.
The ministry said B.C. has about 10,000 inactive and abandoned wells under the care and control of viable companies.
A site is considered dormant if it does not meet a threshold of activity for five consecutive years (does not produce for at least 720 hours a year).
There would be four types of sites identified under the regulation, their type identified by date of decommissioning.
– Jeremy Hainsworth, Glacier Media
