Energy regulator to funnel ‘significant funding and work’ into Peace orphan wells

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The BC Energy Regulator (BCER) has said it is prioritizing orphan wells in the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) in 2026. 

During the PRRD’s February 26th board meeting, a delegation from the BCER provided the directors with an update on plans for orphaned and dormant well sites. 

According to the BCER, a well site consisting of wells, facilities, pipelines or other associated infrastructure, is considered orphaned when an oil and gas company cannot be located or declares bankruptcy. The BCER then takes control of the site under the Orphan Site Reclamation Fund and assumes responsibility for cleaning it up. 

A site is considered dormant if it “does not meet the threshold of activity for five consecutive years or produce for at least 720 hours a year,” the BCER’s website states.

The delegation explained it is responsible for 1,002 orphan sites, 509 of which fall within the PRRD.

The regulator is planning more than 450 decommissioning and restoration activities across B.C., with “significant funding and work” intended for the Peace River region. 

Mike Janzen, the executive director of orphans and restoration with BCER, explained the regulator receives $24 million a year from industrial partners to orphan wells. 

“It’s really about ensuring that we can complete that closure without the cost being borne by the greater public,” he said.

The delegation also explained 99 per cent of the decommissioning and restoration work is conducted by companies local to the area or province. The remaining one per cent is specialized services the province “might not have to offer.”

The regulator highlighted its new web map, created to eliminate the need for emailed lists of sites and to allow the public to track individual sites. 

The BCER increased the Orphan Site Restoration Levy on oil and gas companies by $9 million in November 2025.