26-03-2025
Owner of oil well near Cold Lake, Alta., blames 60,000-litre crude oil spill on vandalism
Vandalism is behind a spill of thousands of litres of crude oil from a well near Cold Lake, Alta., says the company that owns the well.
On March 22, a Check Energy Ltd. well 26 kilometres south of Cold Lake released 60,000 litres of crude oil.
The Alberta Energy Regulator was notified the same day. On its compliance dashboard, the AER said no impacts to wildlife were reported.
The release "was a direct result of intentional vandalism," Ryan Mitton, CEO of Calgary-based Check Energy, told CBC in an email.
"We are working with local RCMP. The [60,000 litre] release has been recovered with remedial efforts complete."
Alberta RCMP could not confirm that vandalism was the cause of the spill, but said they were aware of an incident and that they are investigating.
Renato Gandia, a spokesperson for the energy regulator, said the AER's priority is to "ensure companies comply with requirements to take effective and immediate action to protect public safety and the environment."
Cold Lake is about 300 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.
