Link to PDF version
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Input Sought on Drilling Rig Requirements and Inspection Guide (Guide 36)
Calgary AB - The Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) is seeking stakeholder input on its revised Alberta drilling rig guide.
The EUB has completed a comprehensive rewrite of Guide 36: Drilling Rig Inspection Manual. The title has been changed to Guide 36: Drilling Rig Requirements and Inspection Guide to reflect the consolidation of all drilling rig related requirements.
The draft is now available on the EUB website /publishedcontent/publish/ercb_home/industry_zone/rules__regulations__requirements/guides/g36.aspx for stakeholder input and review.
Prior to the draft being released, blowout prevention requirements related to drilling wells in Alberta were detailed in numerous EUB documents (guides, informational letters, interim directives, and general bulletins) and in the Oil and Gas Conservation Regulations. Stakeholders requested that all information be brought together for ease of use and clarity.
Once stakeholder input is reviewed and the draft further revised, the new document will ensure that industry has a single point of information for blowout prevention requirements and procedures in Alberta. It also takes the previous edition of Guide 36 one step further by including references to applicable drilling rig operations, such as Emergency Response Planning requirements.
"We've spent the better part of four years drawing together existing blowout prevention requirements with emerging industry trends and direction, as well as ensuring that the new Guide 36 meets current and anticipates emerging technology," says Dwayne Waisman, Executive Manager, EUB Field Surveillance.
"We now look to stakeholders for their input to ensure the Guide is as complete as possible. As always, stakeholder feedback and consultation are integral to our business process."
The rationale for revising the guide included the need to:
Consolidate all requirements into one document for clarity, consistency, and ease of access;
Reflect existing and new technology now available to the drilling industry;
Clarify items open to interpretation; and
Align draft Guide 36 with the existing EUB enforcement ladder process.
The document can be viewed and comments submitted at: www.ercb.ca.
The EUB ensures that the discovery, development, and delivery of Alberta's resources and utilities services take place in a manner that is fair, responsible, and in the public interest.
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For more information, please contact:
Darin Barter
EUB Communications
Phone: 403-297-4116 Fax: 403-297-3757
Email: darin.barter@gov.ab.ca
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