Site Rehabilitation Program – Grant application

Program update

An additional 45 days for the Site Rehabilitation Program was granted by the federal government.

All application periods are now closed. Although these deadlines are now closed, detailed information about the program is provided for reference and to provide updates on the program status.

Project completion: For all Periods of the program (Periods 1 to 8), work must be completed and invoices must be submitted for the completed work by February 14, 2023 at 4:30 pm.

Visit the Grant invoicing and payment page for more information to assist with invoice submissions including more details about the common invoice submission decline reasons and the specific page reference to the requirement in the Invoice and Reporting Guidelines.

Nominations through the Landowner and Indigenous Community Site Nomination process which were received by March 31, 2022 at 4:30 pm have been posted, however no new site nominations are being accepted.

Overview

The Site Rehabilitation Program (SRP) provides grants to oil field service contractors to perform well, pipeline, facility, and oil and gas site closure and reclamation work. See Site Rehabilitation Program – Application guidelines for the overall program guidelines, as well as the supplemental guidelines for each grant application period.

Grant application periods

Grant funding was available in $100 million increments with targeted priorities, application criteria, and timelines.

Grant period 1 – Closed

$100 million in funding. Grant applications were accepted for:

• oil and gas sites needing abandonment and/or reclamation across Alberta
• projects that require 100% government funding
• contracts of up to $30,000 (per application, per closure activity)

Grant period 2 – Closed

$100 million in funding. Grant applications were accepted for:

• oil and gas sites on land where government is paying compensation to landowners as required under Section 36 of the Surface Rights Act (otherwise referred to as Section 36 lands)
• projects that require 100% government funding
• no contract cost limit

Reassessment period 1B – Closed

$116 million in funding (remaining funds from periods 1 and 2). Declined grant applications for abandonment work from period 1 were reassessed for possible approval, based on the criteria laid out in the Reassessment Period 1B Supplemental Guidelines. No new applications were accepted for this period.

Grant period 3 – Closed

$100 million in funding. Grant applications were accepted for:

• up to $139,000 in grant funding to each active site licensee in the province
• oil field service contractors that contracted with these licensees to do closure work could apply for an SRP grant to get funding to do the work; licensees could not apply for this funding – only the contractor doing the work was eligible to apply
• projects were eligible for 100% grant funding, up to the $139,000 limit for each licensee.

Grant period 4 – Closed

$100 million in funding was available for:

• Licensees who had submitted either confirmed or proposed Area-Based Closure (ABC) plans to the Alberta Energy Regulator – prior to the 2020 spending targets being paused – were allocated SRP grant funding amounts for Period 4, based on their ABC spending targets for 2020.
• Oil field service contractors could contract with these licensees to do closure activities and apply for an SRP grant to get funding to do the work; licensees could not apply for this funding – only the contractor doing the work could.
• Projects were eligible for up to 50% grant funding – the licensee was responsible for paying the remaining amount.
  • Grant funding was increased up to 100% of the project value if the licensee/WIP contracted with Indigenous oil field service companies. See the Site Rehabilitation Program Guidelines, page 22, for details.
    • Licensees could review a list of some Indigenous oil field service companies in Alberta to contract with them to do SRP closure work.

Grant period 5 – Closed

A total of $400 million in funding was available for:

• Licensees with confirmed hydrocarbon production in 2019, and that spent corporate funds doing closure work in 2019 or 2020, were allocated SRP grant funding amounts for period 5. Licensees could choose to use their allocation on sites where they are a Working Interest Participant (WIP).
• Oil field service contractors could contract with licensees to do closure activities and apply for an SRP grant to get funding to do the work; licensees could not apply for this funding – only the contractor doing the work could do so
• Projects were eligible for up to 50% grant funding – the licensee or WIP is responsible for paying the remaining amount.
  • Grant funding was increased up to 100% of the project value if the licensee/WIP contracted with Indigenous oil field service companies. See the Site Rehabilitation Program Guidelines, page 22, for details.
  • Licensees could review a list of some Indigenous oil field service companies in Alberta to contract with them to do SRP closure work.
• Period 5 allocations were made available to all eligible licensees effective April 30, 2021.

Grant period 6 – Closed

A total of $133.33 million in funding was available for:

• First Nations were each allocated a portion of $85 million in SRP closure funding, and Metis Settlements were each allocated a portion of $15 million in SRP closure funding, to work with licensees and applicants to close sites on reserve and on settlement.
  • Out of these total allocations, each First Nations allocations were developed in cooperation with the Alberta member First Nations of the Indian Resource Council and were distributed based on the number of eligible well licenses on each First Nations reserve, in proportion to the total number of eligible wells in all First Nations where eligible wells are located.
  • Metis Settlements allocations were developed in cooperation with the Metis Settlements General Council office and were distributed based on the number of eligible well licenses on each Settlement, in proportion to the total number of eligible well licenses on all Settlements.
• First Nations communities and Metis Settlements approved the sites that were eligible for closure work using their allocation, and worked with licensees and contractors to approve the associated spending. Once this was done, they informed the department which licensees were eligible for SRP funding, and for how much. Contractors could then apply directly to government for SRP grants to do the work.

Additional period 6 details

Working with the First Nation and/or Metis Settlement, oil field service contractors could contract with licensees to do closure activities and apply for an SRP grant to get funding to do the work; licensees, First Nations, Metis Settlements could not apply for this funding – only the contractor doing the work could do so.

Projects were eligible for up to 50% grant funding – the licensee or WIP is responsible for paying the remaining amount.

Grant funding was increased up to 100% of the project value if the licensee/WIP contracted with Indigenous oil field service companies. See the Site Rehabilitation Program Guidelines, page 22, for details.

Grant period 7 – Closed

$100 million in funding was available for post-abandonment closure work on two categories of sites: those abandoned prior to April 30, 2017, and nominated sites with abandoned wells, facilities or pipelines abandoned prior to April 30, 2017:

• Licensees with eligible abandoned sites - those with an “abandoned” license status on or before April 30, 2017 – were allocated SRP grant funding amounts for period 7. Licensees could choose to use their allocation on sites where they are a Working Interest Participant (WIP).
• Eligible nominated sites are those that were received by the SRP on or before May 6, 2021 through the Landowner and Indigenous Community Site Nomination process (see the Site Rehabilitation Program Guidelines, page 23, for details).
  • Eligible nominated sites must also have an “abandoned” license status on or before April 30, 2017.
  • Visit the interactive map and list of eligible nominated sites.
• Oil field service contractors could contract with licensees to do closure activities and apply for an SRP grant to get funding to do the work. Licensees could not apply for this funding – only the contractor doing the work could do so.
• Eligible post-abandonment closure work includes phase 1 and 2 environmental site assessments, remediation, and reclamation work activities.
• Projects were eligible for up to 50% grant funding – the licensee or WIP is responsible for paying the remaining amount.
  • Grant funding was increased up to 100% of the project value if the application was for work at an eligible nominated site(s), or if the licensee/WIP contracted with Indigenous oil field service companies. See the Site Rehabilitation Program Guidelines, page 22, for details.
  • Licensees could review a list of some Indigenous oil field service companies in Alberta to contract with them to do SRP closure work.
• Nominated sites that were not eligible for period 7, because the sites do not have an abandoned well status on or before April 30, 2017, or because they were received after May 6, 2021, were eligible for grant funding in other open funding periods, as long as the eligibility criteria was met for the funding period under which the application was made.

Grant period 8 – Closed

$100 million in funding was available for closure work in Sage Grouse, native trout and caribou Species at Risk in specific geographic areas identified on the following maps.

• The identified geographic areas are of significant habitat for three priority Species at Risk within Alberta: priority caribou ranges (mountain and woodland: A La Peche, Bistcho, Chinchaga, Cold Lake, Little Smoky, Narraway, and Redrock-Prairie Creek ), Sage Grouse, and Alberta’s native trout (in the Eastern Slopes and foothills regions, including Athabasca rainbow, bull, and westslope cutthroat trout).
• One-third of the $100 million in funding was allocated to each of the three Species at Risk (Sage Grouse, native trout and caribou). Licensees with eligible sites in the identified geographic areas for each species were allocated SRP grant funding amounts for period 8. Licensees could choose to use their allocation on sites where they are a Working Interest Participant (WIP).
  • Allocations for each licensee were determined by their number of eligible wells within identified geographic areas for each Species at Risk as a percentage of total eligible wells within each of the identified geographic areas.
  • Allocations could be used on sites in any of the three Species at Risk geographic areas.
  • Visit the list of eligible wells and facilities.
• Oil field service contractors could contract with licensees to do closure activities and could apply for an SRP grant to get funding to do the work. Licensees could not apply for this funding – only the contractor doing the work could do so.
• Projects for post-abandonment work activities were eligible for up to 100% grant funding.
  • Eligible work includes phase 1 and 2 environmental site assessments, remediation and reclamation work activities.
• Abandonment projects were accepted within the identified Sage Grouse area and were eligible for up to 50% grant funding – the licensee or WIP is responsible for paying the remaining amount.
  • Licensees using their allocation for abandonment work activities in Sage Grouse area were encouraged to plan and submit applications for all the work required on the site up to the phase 2 environmental site assessment stage, if necessary.

Application information

The Site Rehabilitation Program Guidelines and supplemental guidelines for each application period contain the requirements, criteria and details to complete a grant application.

Oil field service contractors could contract with licensees to do closure activities and apply for an SRP grant to get funding to do the work; licensees, First Nations, Metis Settlements could not apply for the funding – only the contractor doing the work could do so.

Grant application Period 4

Review the list of eligible licensees that were allocated grant funding for Period 4.

Grant application Period 5

Review the list of eligible licensees that were allocated grant funding for Period 5.

Grant application Period 6

Review the list of eligible First Nations and Metis Settlements and associated licensees in Period 6.

Grant application Period 7

Review the list of eligible licensees that were allocated grant funding for Period 7.

Grant application Period 8

Review the list of eligible licensees that were allocated grant funding for Period 8.

After you apply

We verified your application and contract with the oil and gas site licensee.

Applications must be completed accurately and fully to be considered for the program. Deficient applications were declined.

If you were deemed eligible for a grant, you are required to sign an agreement with the Government of Alberta outlining the roles and responsibilities of all parties.

Failure to meet the requirements laid out in the agreement could result in the loss of all or part of the grant.

Once the agreement has been approved and signed, you will receive an initial payment of 10%.

Terminating an agreement

Grant recipients can choose to terminate their approved grant applications through the Electronic Transfer System if the work related to the approved SRP application will not proceed, or the applicant does not require the SRP grant funding. See the Invoice and reporting guidelines, page 29, for details.

Reporting requirements

Requirements and additional grant payments

Learn how to submit invoicing to receive interim and final grant payments.

Grant payments will be made by electronic funds transfer (EFT) or by cheque issued by Alberta Energy and Minerals, whichever is preferred. To get EFT payment, you must complete an Application for EFT Direct Deposit form when you sign and return your first grant agreement. Only one EFT Direct Deposit Form is required for one company receiving multiple grants.

If you change your banking information after the first grant payment, fill out the Application for EFT Direct Deposit Form and email it to [email protected] for processing.

Contact

Connect with the Site Rehabilitation Program, Program Design Implementation and Monitoring Section:

Email: [email protected]

Address:
Alberta Energy and Minerals
9945 108 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta  T5K 2G6