DATE ISSUED: May 17, 2019

EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately

The BC Energy Regulator (Regulator) is advising industry of amendments to the Drilling and Production Regulation (DPR).

The DPR governs wells and facilities from permitting through to abandonment. For wells, this includes drilling, completion, production and abandonment. For facilities, this includes construction, operation, maintenance and abandonment.

New amendments include:

Safety Training Organization

The DPR requires certain personnel to have certifications from Enform and specific procedures to be guided by Enform. Enform has merged with another organization, jointly called Energy Safety Canada. As well, there are other organizations capable of safety training and guidance. The amendment replaces Enform with an “accepted safety training organization”, and “acceptance” would be determined by Regulator officials who are safety trained.

Derelict Equipment on Well or Facility Site

Currently, the DPR requires permit holders keep well and facility sites free from garbage, debris, and “unused equipment”. By its definition, unused equipment captured unintended situations including a new facility that had not yet been put into operation. The definition also captured equipment related to a decommissioned activity, and decommissioned activities will now be handled through a Dormancy Regulation. The DPR amendment changes “unused equipment” to “derelict equipment” to more accurately reflect the intent.

Wellheads

A new definition for wellhead removes uncertainty amongst permit holders as to start and end points of the wellhead. In addition, the amendment adds the safety requirement that any cased well must have a wellhead or a capping assembly.

Production, Injection, Disposal

Certain requirements which currently apply to producing wells should apply to injection wells and disposal wells as well, and the amendment adjusts DPR sections accordingly.

Suspending Wells

The amendment adds the provision a permit holder must isolate a suspended well from its flowline (a safety requirement).

Abandoning Wells

Requirements for plugging and abandoning a well referred specifically to wells for which permits had been cancelled or declared spent. The amendment extends these requirements to every well that is plugged and abandoned.

Survey Plans

In order to facilitate the Regulator knowing exact locations of wells (surface and bottom-hole), the amendments add a requirement to provide this information in some detail.

Waste Containment

The amendment tightens requirements for structures that contain waste fluids.

Fluid Analyses

There has been confusion in certain fields as to whether the well is primarily a gas well with a lot of ancillary liquids or an oil well with a lot of ancillary gas. Fluid analyses procedures vary depending on the well type. The amendment distinguishes the “primary fluid type” by specific gravity and requires the permit holder to conduct analyses early in the production life (reducing from six months to 30 days after production begins) as this is when the clearest picture is available. Further, in the case of acid gas disposal, the permit holder will need to submit a composition analysis of disposed fluids.

If you have any questions regarding this Industry Bulletin, please contact:

Anita Mathur
Legislation Specialist
BC Energy Regulator

Anita.Mathur@bcogc.ca
250-419-4434