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From the Archive:

Is well classification determined solely by gas-oil ratio (GOR)?

Can a gas well produce oil and still remain classified as a gas well?

Can historical well classifications be evaluated using today's rules?

What is one of the most common misconceptions about well classification?

Regulatory Intelligence 

Will reclassifying a gas well as an oil well make flaring approvable?

Category:

Well Classification

Research Basis

Archive Period

1999-2025

Records Reviewed
33
Primary Topics
gas well; oil well; well reclassification; GOR; conservation; D060 application
Current Reference
AER Directive 060; AER well classification requirements

Common Question

Will reclassifying a gas well as an oil well make flaring approvable?

Archive Findings

No guarantee. Historical records indicate that well reclassification would be assessed outside the D060 group and that D060 approval could not be guaranteed even if the well became an oil well.


Engineering Insight
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Resolve well classification before investing heavily in the D060 application. Then build the application around conservation options, GOR history, production forecast, nearby infrastructure, and why flaring is the only practical outcome.

Current Guidance

Current Directive 060 still requires conservation assessment and supporting economics for solution gas flaring decisions. Confirm current well classification and any related AER reservoir or classification requirements before filing.

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Mar 1, 2025

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This issue focuses on facility life-cycle status validation, OneStop land updates, 2025/26 levy information, Directive 060 matters, wildfire-related updates, and BC facility-streamlining changes.

Sep 1, 2020

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This newsletter covers Directive 060 updates, well testing, Saskatchewan commingled-abandonment guidance, step-rate injectivity test interpretation, Saskatchewan groundwater-protection GIS, BC pressure-isolation-test submission changes, and well-spacing education.

Mar 1, 2018

Directive 060, OneStop Drilling Data and Subsurface Orders

This issue covers Directive 060, Directive 059 well drilling and completion data in OneStop, Saskatchewan acid gas disposal, geothermal and CO2 IRIS items, subsurface orders, and LMR/IWCP content.

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