How many abandoned wells are there in Alberta?

The AER abandoned-well service holds about 238,000 abandoned well records, and the Alberta Energy Geoview layer counts about 339,600 abandoned sub-surface well legs (one well can have several legs). Roughly 37% of all wells drilled in Alberta are abandoned or decommissioned.

What is the difference between an abandoned and an orphan well?

An abandoned well has been permanently plugged and sealed by its licensee. An orphan well has no solvent licensee left to close it, so responsibility passes to the Orphan Well Association. The AER map shows abandonment status; orphan inventories are published by the Orphan Well Association.

INTERACTIVE MAP · PUBLIC DATA

Abandoned and orphan wells in Alberta: map

Abandoned wells from the Alberta Energy Regulator's public abandoned-well service (about 238,000 well records), drawn with active producing wells for context. Click a point for the licence number, licensee and status.

Abandoned wells matter beyond liability: they are cheap re-entry points for brine sampling and geothermal studies, and they are the main leakage risk a carbon-storage project has to manage.

Open the interactive map ↗All Alberta maps

QUESTIONS THIS MAP ANSWERS

Frequently asked

How many abandoned wells are there in Alberta?: The AER abandoned-well service holds about 238,000 abandoned well records, and the Alberta Energy Geoview layer counts about 339,600 abandoned sub-surface well legs (one well can have several legs). Roughly 37% of all wells drilled in Alberta are abandoned or decommissioned. More
What is the difference between an abandoned and an orphan well?: An abandoned well has been permanently plugged and sealed by its licensee. An orphan well has no solvent licensee left to close it, so responsibility passes to the Orphan Well Association. The AER map shows abandonment status; orphan inventories are published by the Orphan Well Association.

DATA BEHIND THIS MAP (3)

Official sources

AER abandoned wellsAlberta Energy Regulator · Wells · drawableLegacy penetrations that compromise CO2 storage seals and offer cheap re-entry for brine sampling.
Active producing wells (Alberta Energy Geoview)Alberta Energy and Minerals · Wells · link onlyWhere hydrocarbons are flowing today: live reservoir pressure, produced-water (brine) access, helium-bearing gas streams and infrastructure for re-entry.
Mineral core & oil sands core locations (AGS)Alberta Geological Survey · Wells · drawablePhysical core you can log for heavy minerals, brine chemistry or coal quality without drilling.

COMMODITY PROFILES

Reserves, value and feasibility

CO2 pore space (carbon storage)Lithium (oilfield brines)Geothermal heat & power Conventional, tight & heavy multilateral oil

Operations on this map

E3 Lithium — Clearwater (Bashaw District)Lithium brine · E3 LithiumPilot / demonstration
E3 Lithium — GarringtonLithium brine · E3 LithiumExploration
LithiumBank — BoardwalkLithium brine · LithiumBank Resources (SLB FS/FEED)Pilot / demonstration
LithiumBank — Park PlaceLithium brine · LithiumBank ResourcesExploration
NeoLithica — Peace River lithiumLithium brine · NeoLithicaExploration
Rainbow Lake lithium (Keg River / Sulphur Point)Lithium brine · LibertyStream (formerly Volt Lithium)Idled
Alberta No. 1 geothermal (Greenview)Geothermal · Terrapin / No. 1 Geothermal LPPermitting
FutEra Swan Hills geothermal–gas hybridGeothermal · FutEra Power (Razor / AIMCo)Operating

Frequently asked

Official sources

Reserves, value and feasibility

Operations on this map

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