Directive 060

Upstream Petroleum Industry Flaring, Incinerating, and Venting

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Replaces the previous edition released on April 21, 2021.

Purpose of this Directive

This directive sets out requirements for flaring, incinerating, and venting in Alberta at all upstream petroleum industry wells and facilities.

These requirements also apply to pipeline installations that convey gas (e.g., compressor stations, line heaters) licensed by the AER in accordance with the Pipeline Act. With the exception of oil sands mining schemes and operations, Directive 060 applies to all schemes and operations approved under section 10 of the Oil Sands Conservation Act.

These requirements ensure that public safety concerns and environmental impacts are addressed before beginning to flare, incinerate, or vent. Requirements in this directive are aligned to ensure compliance with Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives and Guidelines.

Summary of Gas Limits and Fugitive Emissions Management Requirements - updated May 2020

Effective July 6, 2023, application documents for Directive 060: Upstream Petroleum Industry Flaring, Incinerating and Venting will be available for download through the OneStop Application Query Tool. The application process remains the same. Please send any questions to inquiries@aer.ca.

Forms

Supplemental Information

Dispersion Models

Directive 060 requires the use of AERflare-incin to model SO2 dispersion from flares and incinerators. Several programming bugs were fixed in the previously released version based on comments that were received. The dispersion model predictions for flares remain the same, but the predictions for incinerators increase slightly. For complete details on what's changed, see the What's New document in the zip file. All submissions must use the new versions within one month of the version date.

Designated Information Submission System

Effective March 29, 2018, the AER has a new online process for submitting well drilling and completion data (daily tour reports) and various notifications.

Related Information