OUR APPROACH

We approach land management with a long-term view, from project development through to operation and reclamation.  

Responsible environmental management includes promoting ecological stability, protecting vegetation, wildlife and fisheries, watercourses, and soil and air quality, as well as carefully considering and respecting the integrity of archeological sites and Indigenous traditional land uses.

Environmental risk prevention relies on having robust and effective Integrity Management Systems to minimize potential spills and other biodiversity-related disturbances.

Our progress in returning the land

Our formal Decommissioning & Land Reclamation (DLR) Program guides how we plan site closure and land reclamation activities through a structured and financially disciplined approach.  
 
Recent progress includes completing surface infrastructure deconstruction at Bigoray, West Pembina and Nevis Gas Plants and associated field compressor sites. Remediation was completed at our Chinchaga Gas Plant and the site is now ready for final land restoration. This retired site is reaching the end of its development life cycle and is on track to be one of the first sour gas plants in Alberta to achieve reclamation status. To continue improving our program, we incorporate lessons learned that focus on preplanning and safety, efficiency and the environment. 

Managing Biodiversity

We take special care to identify and protect sensitive species, including amphibians, fish, birds, mammals, and vegetation. During project design, we conduct desktop and field-based predisturbance assessments to identify areas of sensitive or critical wildlife and vegetation habitat.

We often hire local experts and communities to conduct assessments. Government databases and feedback from Indigenous communities and community members help us identify priority biodiversity areas or populations of significance prior to conducting any field work or application submissions. If any sensitive areas are identified, specific mitigation plans are developed.

We apply a Mitigation Hierarchy approach for project planning and biodiversity management. This framework prioritizes minimizing – and ultimately avoiding –biodiversity impacts, particularly in sensitive areas and critical habitats. The Mitigation Hierarchy is used to develop our Environmental Protection Plans (EPPs) for construction and reclamation, including location-specific mitigations for identified sensitive and critical habitat. For example, the EPP may contain proactive wildlife prevention measures such as amphibian fencing around temporary ponds, bird deterrents, or restrictions on removing trees in sensitive habitats.

Where habitat is affected by our work, every effort is taken to restore the area to its previous ecological state.

Land reclamation commitments

Site reclamation has a specific set of regulatory obligations. Keyera complies with all applicable regulatory requirements and monitors changes to compliance practices and timelines.

Our land reclamation commitments are managed through a Liability Management System (LMS). Based on a series of environmental stages and clear management objectives, the LMS houses an inventory of areas of concern, systematically identifies preferred workflow, tracks end-of-life costs, and identifies and ranks risk related to each area of concern. Data is collected from each of our sites to categorize and prioritize the land management considerations and corresponding obligations, so these may be monitored and addressed in a comprehensive and timely manner. 

 

Consistent with our focus on disciplined financial management, Keyera elects to allocate remediation related costs earlier in an asset’s lifecycle than required by regulation. This approach enhances our ability to proactively manage long-term liabilities related to site reclamation and balances funding to settle these liabilities over the productive life of the asset. End-of-life costs are accounted for as part of our financial obligations, ensuring we maintain a strong asset-to-liability ratio.