Who we are
Funded primarily by industry, the Orphan Well Association's (OWA) job is to close wells, facilities, pipelines and associated sites that do not have a financially viable and responsible owner, known as orphans. We make sure people and the environment are protected from these sites and ensure that the people of Alberta do not have to pay for the oil and gas sector’s liabilities. We have about 30 people who work for us directly, and hundreds of contractors who are the arms and legs of the OWA.
We are independent
The OWA is an independent, non‐profit organization that operates under the delegated legal authority of the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). The AER enables us to complete closure work on sites in our inventory through the Orphan Fund Delegated Administration Regulation under the Oil and Gas Conservation Act.
We are governed by the Oil and Gas Conservation Act and Orphan Fund Delegated Administration Regulation, although we are not a government organization.
Fact sheet
For a snapshot of who we are and what we do, see our Fact Sheet.
