1The following definitions apply in this Act.
“administrative penalty” means an administrative penalty issued under section 150.(pénalité administrative)
“battery” means a system or arrangement of tanks or other surface equipment receiving the production of one or more wells prior to delivery to market or other disposition, and includes equipment or devices for separating and measuring that production into petroleum or water for measurement.(batterie)
“bituminous shale products” means bituminous shale products as defined in the Bituminous Shale Act.(produits de schistes bitumineux)
“condensate” means a mixture composed mainly of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons that is recovered or is recoverable at a well from an underground reservoir and may be gaseous in its virgin reservoir state but is liquid at the conditions under which its volume is measured or estimated.(condensat)
“Crown” means Her Majesty in right of the Province.(Couronne)
“Crown Lands” means all or any part of the lands vested in the Crown that are under the administration and control of the Minister and includes any water upon or under the surface of such lands.(terres de la Couronne)
“directive” means a directive issued by the Minister under section 138.(directive)
“discovery well” means a well that has been designated as a discovery well by the Minister.(puits de découverte)
“field” means an area that is designated by the Minister under paragraph 35(b) as a field, and includes part of a field.(champ)
“geophysical exploration” means any investigation conducted on or over the land or water to determine geologic or other conditions in the subsurface or any potential cavern location and includes a gravimetric, magnetic, electrical, radioactivity or geophysical survey.(prospection géophysique)
“geophysical licence” means a geophysical licence granted under section 24.(licence de prospection géophysique)
“geophysical permit” means a geophysical permit issued under the regulations.(permis de travaux géophysiques)
“lease” means a lease granted under this Act.(bail)
“lease area” means the area included in a lease.(périmètre)
“licence area” means the area included in a licence to search.(périmètre)
“licence to search” means a licence to search granted under this Act.(permis de recherche)
“Minister” means the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development.(ministre)
“ministerial order” means a ministerial order issued by the Minister under section 142.(ordre ministériel)
“natural gas” means a mixture of raw gases containing mainly methane, natural gas liquids, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, helium and other related substances, which is recovered or is recoverable at a well from an underground reservoir and is gaseous at the conditions under which its volume is measured or estimated.(gaz naturel)
“natural gas liquids” means a mixture of mainly methane, propane or butanes obtained from the processing of natural gas. (liquides de gaz naturel)
“oil” means a liquid at the conditions under which its volume is measured or estimated composed mainly of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons that is recovered or is recoverable at a well from an underground reservoir, but does not include natural gas, natural gas liquids or bituminous shale products.(pétrole)
“paying quantity” means the output of a well or a pool of such quantity of petroleum, considering, at the relevant time, the quality of the petroleum, the price to be paid for the petroleum which would economically warrant the placing of the well or the pool on production either initially or after any period of suspension and all capital and operating expenditures required to be expended, including all costs associated with the production, processing, transportation and marketing of the petroleum.(quantité rentable)
“petroleum” means oil or natural gas, or both.(resource pétrolière)
“Petroleum Commissioner” means the Petroleum Commissioner appointed under section 43.(commissaire aux resources pétrolières)
“petroleum register” means the petroleum register established under section 73 .(register des droits pétrolièrs)
“petroleum right” means a licence to search or lease.(titre pétrolier)
“pool” means a natural underground reservoir containing or appearing to contain an accumulation of petroleum and being separated or appearing to be separated from any other accumulation or an area designated as a pool by the Minister under paragraph 35(a), and includes part of a pool.(gisement)
“private lands” means lands other than Crown Lands and other lands vested in the Crown.(terres privées)
“Registrar” means a person designated by the Minister to act as Registrar under this Act.(registraire)
“shot hole” means a hole drilled for the purpose of detonating an explosive charge for the primary purpose of obtaining geophysical information, whether or not the shot is fired.(trou de tir)
“special order” means a special order granted by the Petroleum Commissioner under section 64.(ordre spécial)
“unitization” or “unitize” means a joint operational arrangement between the holders of 2 or more petroleum rights for carrying on work or activity in relation to the development or production of petroleum from the same pool or the same field. (exploitation concertée)
“unitization agreement” means an agreement in respect of the unitization of the same pool or the same field, which includes provisions indicating how the development of the pool or the field is carried out, that ensures the conservation of petroleum and the coordinated management of interests in the resource.(accord d’exploitation concertée)
“unitization order” means a unitization order issued by the Minister requiring the unitization of the interests of 2 or more petroleum rights.(décret d’exploitation concertée)
“wasteful operation” includes
(opération génératrice de gaspillage)
(a)
the locating, spacing, drilling, equipping, completing, operating or producing of a well in a manner that would result in reducing the quantity of petroleum ultimately recoverable from a pool by the use of good drilling practice, good production practice and economic principles,
(b)
the locating, spacing, drilling, equipping, completing, operating or producing of a well in a manner that causes or tends to cause excessive surface loss or destruction of petroleum,
(c)
the inefficient, excessive or improper use or dissipation of reservoir energy however caused,
(d)
the failure to use suitable and timely artificial, secondary, or supplementary recovery methods in a pool where it appears probable, on the basis of available information, that the use of any such methods would result in increasing the quantity of petroleum ultimately recoverable from a pool by the use of good drilling practice, good production practice and sound economic principles,
(e)
the escape or flaring of natural gas if it appears that, in the public interest and by the use of good drilling practice, good production practice and in the light of economics and the risk factor involved, the natural gas could be gathered, processed if necessary, and it or the products from it marketed, stored for future marketing, or beneficially injected into an underground reservoir,
(f)
the inefficient or improper storage of petroleum on the surface or underground,
(g)
the production of petroleum in excess of the quantity that can be properly stored, transported or marketed, and
(h)
the use of natural gas for purposes other than gas lift, repressuring, recycling, pressure or maintenance or for fuel or electrical requirements, unless the use is efficient and in the public interest.
“well” means any opening in the ground that is made, is to be made or is in the process of being made, by drilling, boring or any other method, other than a shot hole,
(puits)
(a)
for the production of petroleum,
(b)
for the purpose of searching for or obtaining petroleum,
(c)
for the purpose of obtaining water to inject into an underground formation, or
(d)
for the purpose of injecting gas, air, water or other substance into an underground formation.
“well licence” means a well licence granted under section 30. (permis de forage de puits)
2012, c.52, s.40; 2016, c.37, s.138; 2019, c.29, s.198