British ColumbiaThe B.C. Energy Regulator says it has approved a levy increase to ensure adequate funding for the restoration of abandoned oil and gas well sites, also known as orphan sites. Province’s energy regulator says more money is needed to manage abandoned oil and gas well sites in B.C. CBC News · Posted: Oct 28, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe B.C. Energy Regulator office in Fort St. John on Aug. 5. The regulator has approved a levy increase to fund the restoration of orphan sites. (Matt Preprost/CBC)The B.C. Energy Regulator says it has approved a levy increase to ensure adequate funding for the restoration of abandoned oil and gas well sites, also known as orphan sites. The funding is needed to ensure the sites return to a natural state, including removing equipment, the regulator said.Abandoned wells can be a source of methane and other gases leaking into the atmosphere.In an Oct. 24 update on its website, the B.C. Energy Regulator said oil and gas permit holders will be invoiced an additional $9 million on Nov. 3, to bring the total levy to $24 million annually. Operators not in compliance with the levy are subject to enforcement action, according to the regulator. It said the levy increase is needed to support ongoing restoration work, with 873 well sites currently designated as orphans — and that number set to increase to 987.Restoring a well site is a six-step process: deactivating the site, plugging the well, removing or salvaging equipment, investigating soil and groundwater for contamination, fixing any contamination, and adding new vegetation. The initial $15-million-a-year figure has been paid by oil-and-gas well and facility permit holders since 2019.There have been 28,311 wells drilled in British Columbia up to the end of 2024, 10,790 of which are currently active.CorrectionsThis story has been updated to correctly reflect the number of well sites designated as orphans by the B.C. Energy Regulator.Oct 28, 2025 8:23 PM EDT
Orphan oil and gas well site levy increasing to $24M, says B.C. Energy Regulator
