The BC Energy Regulator (Regulator) has issued a permit amendment to Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL) allowing the company to resume operations in the lower Montney zone following seismic events which occurred approximately 20 km south of Fort St. John on Nov. 29, 2018.
DATE ISSUED: Oct. 21, 2019
The BC Energy Regulator (Regulator) has issued a permit amendment to Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL) allowing the company to resume operations in the lower Montney zone following seismic events which occurred approximately 20 km south of Fort St. John on Nov. 29, 2018.
The Regulator has imposed two new conditions for the restart of operations. This includes a lower threshold (magnitude 1.5) when the company must take action and initiate a seismic mitigation plan, and if there are any seismic events greater than magnitude 1.0, they must notify the Regulator within 24 hours and maintain those communications while drilling continues.
In addition, the Regulator is providing advisory guidance that if the well results in a cluster of seismic events, the regulator may suspend activities for a period of 12 hours.
The Regulator made the decision to amend the permit after a thorough review of the technical data supplied by CNRL and two studies - one a third-party study requested by the Regulator and another conducted by University of Calgary researchers. CNRL has cooperated fully with our investigation and it may be several months before operations resume at the site.
In addition, the Kiskatinaw Seismic Monitoring and Mitigation Area (KSSMA) order ensures ongoing dialogue between the company and residents in the area where hydraulic fracturing occurs.
If you have any questions regarding this Information Bulletin, please contact:
Dean Zimmer
Executive Director
BC Energy Regulator
Dean.Zimmer@bcogc.ca
250-794-5278