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Updates to Application Processing Times

The AER is committed to making the regulatory system for energy development more efficient without compromising environmental protection and public safety.

As part of our work to improve efficiency and to help make Alberta more competitive, we have updated our estimated processing times for energy development applications—most of which are shorter than our previous targets:

  • Application processing times of 60 days or more will be reduced by 50 per cent
  • Application processing times of 31–60 days will be reduced to 30 days
  • Application processing times of 30 days or less will remain unchanged

These changes mean that applications for energy development activities will be reviewed faster. In most cases, wait times for a decision on an application will be cut in half.

We expect that we will be able to consistently meet the new timelines by April 2019. In the meantime, some processing times will vary. About 70 per cent of applications are already meeting the reduced processing timelines.

The new targets are based on the time we expect to save by continuing to implement our risk-based decision-making process for energy development applications as part of the Integrated Decision Approach.

The changes to our application processing times do not affect the public involvement process. Anyone who believes they are directly or adversely impacted by an application can still express their concerns by submitting a statement of concern to us.

Visit our application processes page for details about our estimated processing times.