Drilled wells throughout Alberta are tracked by the AER over their full life cycle. Though oil and gas wells have been drilled here for many decades, this graph covering the last five years shows the total numbers of existing wells at different stages:
- An active well is currently in operation.
- Marginal wells are those with an average production of less than 10 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day.
- An inactive well is one that has not produced oil or gas, injected fluids, or disposed of waste for 6 or for 12 months, depending on the well type and potential risks to the public or environment.
- A decommissioned (abandoned) well is one that has been permanently sealed and taken out of service.
- A well will receive a reclamation certificate once the site has been returned to an equivalent land capacity.
- Reclamation exempt wells is a status where the well was decommissioned prior to 1963 (in some areas of Alberta) or 1978 when reclamation requirements came into effect in Alberta.
For more information on these categories, see our article “Well, What’s the Difference."
Number of licensed wells in each stage of the life cycle
This graph shows a snapshot of the total number of wells as of a certain point in time. For past years, the last snapshot is taken on December 31 of that year. For the current year, the snapshot is taken once a month.
Highlights
Active and marginal wells only.
