Carbon Sequestration Project Plans and Reports

The oversight of monitoring, measurement, and verification (MMV) plans and closure plans was delegated to the AER by ministerial order on April 25, 2023. The AER updated Directive 065: Resources Applications for Oil and Gas Reservoirs in July 2023 and added the Alberta Energy and Minerals MMV principles and objectives document as an appendix, as the AER now has ownership of this document. 

Monitoring and measurement are surveillance activities necessary for ensuring the safe and reliable operation of a CO₂ sequestration project. Verification refers to the comparison of measured and predicted performance, which is also known as conformance. 

The purpose of a monitoring, measurement, and verification (MMV) plan is to address health, safety, and environmental risks; evaluate sequestration performance; and provide evidence that the site is suitable for closure.

A closure plan describes the activities that will be undertaken to close carbon sequestration operations and facilities. It contains details on wells and facilities monitoring and decommissioning, abandonment, and reclamation activities to provide performance evidence that CO₂ will remain in the deep subsurface geological formations.

MMV plans are updated at specified intervals as provided for in the subsurface scheme approval documentation. 

Carbon capture and storage project operators must also submit annual reports of their operations, as identified in their specific AER approvals.

The required MMV plans, closure plans, and annual reports for CO₂ sequestration projects are found below.