Provincial regulatory bodies and identification systems used to track oil and gas wells across Canada.
Alberta's single regulatory body responsible for oil, gas, oil sands, and coal development. The AER oversees the entire lifecycle of energy projects from application to abandonment and reclamation. They maintain records for over 650,000 wells in the province.
Example: The AER reviews all well license applications and monitors compliance.
Try it on the mapBritish Columbia's regulatory agency overseeing oil and gas activities. Previously known as the BC Oil and Gas Commission (BCOGC), they regulate exploration, development, and decommissioning across the province.
Example: BCER manages well authorizations in the Montney and Horn River regions.
The company or individual holding the legal license to operate a well. The licensee is responsible for all regulatory obligations, including abandonment and reclamation. In Alberta, licensees are identified by a 4-character Business Associate (BA) code.
Example: Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. is the licensee for thousands of Alberta wells.
Try it on the mapThe company managing day-to-day operations of a well. The operator handles drilling, production, and maintenance activities. Often the operator and licensee are the same company, but larger projects may have different entities in each role.
Example: A junior company may operate wells licensed to a larger partner.
A representative authorized to handle regulatory matters on behalf of a licensee. Agents often manage applications, compliance reporting, and communications with regulators. In Alberta, agent information is tracked in the AER's Business Associate registry.
Example: Regulatory consulting firms often act as agents for multiple licensees.
A standardized code that uniquely identifies each wellbore in Canada. The UWI format varies by province but typically encodes the well location using the Dominion Land Survey (DLS) or National Topographic System (NTS). In Alberta, UWIs follow the format: 00/06-21-020-08W4/0.
Example: 100/06-21-020-08W4/00 identifies a specific well in Township 20, Range 8.
The unique identifier used in British Columbia to track well authorizations. WA numbers are assigned when BCER approves drilling activity. The format is typically numeric (e.g., WA-12345).
Example: BC well data is referenced by WA number rather than UWI.
A well identification system used in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Similar to the UWI, the CWI encodes location information based on the DLS grid system.
Example: Saskatchewan production reports reference wells by CWI.
The official permit number assigned when a well is approved for drilling. License numbers are province-specific and serve as the primary tracking ID in regulatory databases. A single well may have multiple licenses if re-entered or modified.
Example: License 0123456 was issued in 2015 for a horizontal Montney well.
A 4-character alphanumeric identifier assigned to companies registered with the Alberta Energy Regulator. BA codes link licensees to their wells, facilities, and regulatory history. Examples include 'A7M1' or '0HE9'.
Example: Imperial Oil's BA code appears on thousands of Alberta well records.
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