Our requirements for oil sands development ensure that public safety and the environment are protected during companies’ oil sands mining, extraction, and upgrading processes. We are responsible for regulating oil sands development under the Oil Sands Conservation Act, the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, and the Water Act.
For a map of approved oil sands projects in Alberta, visit the Government of Alberta’s website.
Our Detailed Requirements
- Directive 023 Oil Sands Project Applications
- Directive 073 Requirements for Inspection and Compliance of Oil Sands Mining and Processing Plant Operations in the Oil Sands Mining Area
- Directive 082 Operating Criteria: Resource Recovery Requirements for Oil Sands Mine and Processing Plant Operations
- Directive 085 Fluid Tailings Management for Oil Sands Mining Projects
- ID 99-01 Gas/Bitumen Production in Oil Sands Areas – Application, Notification and Drilling Requirements [includes all 4 amendments]
Informational Letters
- IL 85-12 Oil Sands Primary Production: Well Spacing Primary Recovery Scheme Approvals
- IL 92-11 Experimental Schemes - Release of Information
Compliance and Enforcement
We conduct regular inspections and audits to make sure that companies are following our requirements. If we find that a company isn’t complying, we’ll take the appropriate compliance and enforcement actions and share our findings on the Compliance Dashboard.
