On July 14, 2020 a number of Land Act and Forest Act delegations related to permitting geothermal activities were provided by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development (FLNRORD) to the BC Energy Regulator.
DATE ISSUED: Aug. 10, 2020
EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately
On July 14, 2020 a number of Land Act and Forest Act delegations related to permitting geothermal activities were provided by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development (FLNRORD) to the BC Energy Regulator (Regulator). As a result, applicants no longer need to make a separate application for land access and cutting licenses on Crown land.
This change to the application process will increase efficiency and streamline the geothermal permitting process, along with adjustments made to the Geothermal Resources Act (GRA) in 2017 that further enhanced the Regulator’s regulatory oversight of geothermal exploration and development activities in British Columbia
The GRA authorizes the Regulator’s Board of Directors to make regulations governing geothermal operations. The Geothermal Operations Regulation, under the GRA, outlines how the Regulator manages geothermal wells.
To be able to drill a geothermal well, a company must acquire the right to the geothermal resource from the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and a permit to drill the well from the Regulator. The company can now come to the Regulator to obtain Crown land access and cutting licenses, thus consolidating the regulatory process.
If you have any questions regarding this Information Bulletin, please contact:
Andrew Osmond
Authorizations Manager, Permit Adjudication
BC Energy Regulator
250 794-5352