The Saskatchewan government has approved the first parcel of work packages to be completed through the province’s Accelerated Site Closure Program (ASCP)

A total of 22 packages will engage up to 50 service companies and spread out work across the province in the Lloydminster, Kindersley, Swift Current and Estevan areas.

The work will include 300 well abandonments, 300 flow line abandonments, 75 facility decommissions, and 700 other activities related to site reclamation.

The first group of work packages will include six different operators and be worth $12 million.

Energy Minister Bronwyn Eyre says the work projects will incorporate every oil region in the province, and most importantly, it gets the province’s service sector back to work.

President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors, Mark Scholz, says the group is pleased to see members getting back to work, and the activity could not have come at a better times it will provide relief for struggling oilfield families and businesses.

The province says they remain committed to involving Indigenous partners within the ASCP. Several Indigenous-owned service companies have been pre-qualified to work within the program in the Onion Lake region.

Phase 1 of the ASCP will allocate $100 million in funding to local service companies, with following phases currently under development.