EPAP Solutions

The Enhanced Production Audit Program (EPAP) is a new measurement and reporting compliance assurance program that was introduced by the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) in January 2010 through the publication of ERCB Directive 076: Operator Declaration Regarding Measurement and Reporting Requirements.

Read a more detailed description of EPAP.

Operators typically form an EPAP implementation project team that reports its work to a steering committee consisting of senior management from the areas of the company that are affected most directly.

The EPAP implementation project team works directly with staff in the following areas of the company:

1. Field Operations
2. Production Accounting
3. Measurement

Typically staff in the following areas of the company are also be affected:

1. Audit Function
2. Facilities Engineering
3. Production Engineering

In general EPAP requires that operator employees maintain some evidence of the good work that they are doing.

For example, if you are responsible to see that all meters are calibrated or proven at the intervals stated in the ERCB measurement requirements, you will ensure that the records you maintain, that demonstrate that meter calibration and proving has been completed, are a little more formal and are retained for possible future evaluation.

Review a list of frequently asked questions related to EPAP.

Operators are required to submit their EPAP Declaration to the ERCB for the first time in 2011. All Alberta operators will submit their EPAP Declaration to the ERCB annually within 30 days of the end of their selected declaration month.

In preparation for submitting their first EPAP Declaration to the ERCB, operators conduct an evaluation of the controls to minimize the risk of noncompliance at oil & gas properties that they operate.

For example, the evaluation of the well test control consists of a review of a sample of the evidence that the well test reports were reviewed by the field operations staff. The daily or monthly review of well test reports is a control operators execute to ensure reasonableness and completeness of well tests.

Read a summary of the work of a typical EPAP implementation project team.

EPAP applies to Alberta oil & gas operators who report data to the Petroleum Registry of Alberta (PRA).

EPAP does not apply to:

• Other oil & gas producing jurisdictions such as other Canadian provinces or states in the USA.
• Measurement and reporting requirements for minable oil sands.

Where operators own a non-operating interest in Alberta facilities, the operators of those facilities are responsible for complying with EPAP as well as other ERCB requirements including measurement and reporting requirements.

EPAP applies only to ERCB measurement and reporting requirements. EPAP does not apply to:

• Other ERCB requirements.
• Alberta Department of Energy or Environment requirements.

ERCB substantive production audits, conducted over many years, suggest that the state of compliance with ERCB measurement and reporting requirements varies considerably from operator to operator and from facility to facility.

To respond to this variation, the ERCB developed EPAP to

1. raise the level of assurance over compliance with ERCB measurement and reporting requirements, and
2. raise the level of compliance with ERCB measurement and reporting requirements.

Achieving these two goals will also raise the level of assurance over accuracy and completeness of:

1. volumetric data, and
2. crown royalty invoices.