CanGEA Submits Comment on the AER’s Directive 071 Update Project

Alberta
Directive 071 establishes safety standards and planning requirements for the subsurface energy industry – primarily pertaining to risk associated with H2S sour gas.

The AER is seeking to modernize the directive, citing that, “overtime, outcome-based decision making, mandate expansion and best practices have evolved, resulting in a need to rewrite and modernize D071.” It is our understanding that this re-work of the directive is to overcome regulatory barriers that have been preventing access to resources, seeking to find innovative ways to develop energy safely in instances where H2S may be present.

CanGEA’s only concern at this stage with the existing D071 is the significant capital cost that emergency response plans (ERPs) may pose to geothermal developers. We expressed our appreciation of the AERs willingness to find safe solutions that keep red tape (and cost) to a minimum – which is certainly easier said than done. See our full submission here.