The Accelerated Site Closure Program (ASCP), launched by the Government of Saskatchewan on May 22, 2020, successfully allocated $400 million in federal funding to retire inactive and orphaned oil and gas wells in Saskatchewan. The program successfully concluded its operations on March 15, 2023.
Key accomplishments of ASCP include:
Indigenous Participation and Community Support:
- $90 million was spent in support of Indigenous participation:
- Over $32 million in site closure work completed on Reserve lands; and
- Over $59 million paid to eligible Indigenous service companies for completed program work.
Economic Impact and Job Creation:
- ASCP created and sustained jobs within the oil and gas services sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- $400 million distributed to 907 Saskatchewan-based oil and gas service companies; and
- Over $59 million paid to eligible Indigenous service companies for completed program work.
Environmental Stewardship:
- ASCP contributed to 9,823 well abandonments, 4,041 flowline abandonments, 66 facility decommissions and 16, 710 site remediation and reclamation activities.
- 352 well sites located within identified ecologically significant areas have been fully reclaimed under the program.