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Our services are designed to mitigate environmental impacts and facilitate responsible land, water, and waste management through a broad range of customer activities.

While the most significant impact is through our work for our customers, SECURE has also embarked on measures to reduce our own environmental footprint. We strive to meet or exceed all regulatory requirements and minimize our impact on the environment while meeting customer needs and expectations. We monitor our environmental performance on an
ongoing basis and report quarterly to the ESG Committee of the Board of Directors.

SECURE is focused on providing solutions that mitigate the environmental impacts of our operational activities and those of our customers.

Some of the ways that SECURE reduced our impact and our customers’ on the environment in 2022 include:

  • Recovered and shipped to market 250,047 m3 of crude oil
  • Safely disposed of 4,612,860 tonnes of customer waste in our landfills
  • Injected 7,920,000 m3 produced water and wastewater in our injection well network
  • Disposed of 59,149 metric tonnes of recyclable hazardous waste with over 55%, or 19,107 m3 recovered as oil at our three caverns
  • 256,229 metric tonnes of metal recycled 

Water

Clean water is an essential resource for people, communities, and the environment, and SECURE strives to minimize the volume of water used in our operational activities and adhere to standards designed to protect water quality, reducing our overall environmental impact.

Recognizing the importance of water management, SECURE launched a series of initiatives in 2022, starting with a short-term target to reduce our freshwater usage by 5%. Enhancements to water data collection, management, and measurement were made as a result. Digital dashboards were created to track progress; operations personnel were then able to leverage data and formulate ideas for water reduction within their operations. This resulted in a year-over-year reduction of freshwater use by 8.7%.

SECURE plans for efficient water use by applying the reduce-reuse-release principle. This integrated water management approach aims to minimize the amount of water needed, reuse water where possible, reduce potential water contamination, and employ best practices for returning water to the water cycle. In 2022, approximately 647,805 m3 was withdrawn or purchased for domestic and industrial purposes, and we were able to return approximately 2,155,092 m3 back to the watershed because it met surface water quality discharge criteria.

Leachate Management

Environmental protection is a primary objective in the design, construction, operation, and closure lifespan of SECURE’s network of 22 owned landfills. Our engineered landfill cells are designed and constructed with leachate collection systems to effectively remove this by-product, where it is typically transported by truck or pipeline for safe disposal at our Waste Disposal Injection Wells.

Investments in technology and best practices are helping reduce leachate generation in our landfills. In 2021 we began assessing new technologies and alternatives to trucking, treating, and disposing of leachate to minimize the environmental impact and cost. These include:

Staged Capping: A method used to cover landfill cells with a welded synthetic liner, preventing precipitation from entering the landfill cell. This has become our preferred method for long-term leachate reduction. In 2022, we exceeded both of our staged capping targets of:

  • Completing three staged caps (five were completed – with a total area of 363,355 m2 capped); and
  • Reducing the open landfill catchment area by 4% (10.6% was reduced). 

Leachate Treatment: At our South Wapiti and LaGlace landfills, we use zero liquid discharge systems equipped with a proprietary stripper system that removes light hydrocarbons, methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide and returns clean water vapor to the atmosphere. This system is effective at reducing the volume of leachate required for disposal, however it is highly energy intensive, so we continue to assess and seek opportunities to reduce its energy intensity. In 2022, using this solution, we were able to return 31,455 m3 of treated water back to the environment. 

Accelerated Evaporation: The accelerated evaporation machines or ‘misters’ have been trialed at two SECURE landfills with promising results. Similar to snow-making machines used at ski hills, misters are situated in the leachate pond and the mist plume is directed over the pond to lift the water into the air and evaporate into the atmosphere. In 2022, the regulatory approvals for the leachate mister pilot projects expired and a decision was made not to apply for permanent approval because of their short operational season and dependency on favourable weather. 

Spills

SECURE continues to invest in spill prevention measures such as preventative maintenance and asset integrity programs to ensure reliable and safe operations. One of our key initiatives is the ‘Every Drop Matters” program:

SECURE’s ‘Every Drop Matters’ program highlights how every employee and contractor can make a difference in spill prevention and minimize the negative impacts of spills on the environment. Increasing awareness around the importance of reporting, regardless of the severity, allows for increased data collection and the investigation and root cause analysis of all releases resulting in the implementation of corrective actions and prevention of recurrence. Best practices related to spill prevention are shared with all employees, customers, and service providers.

Asset Integrity

Maintaining our assets is critical to protecting the safety of our people, customers, communities, and the environment. In 2022, we completed 586 inspections on vessels and tanks and increased capital spending by 2% from 2021, which has resulted in improved spill performance. 

In 2022, we consolidated legacy asset integrity systems and created an integrated Asset Integrity Management System (AIMs). An internal audit conducted on the combined program at 15 operating facilities revealed a high level of consistency and alignment after a review of daily operations, emergency response, document control, and training. 
We have begun the development of a formal preventative maintenance program, digitizing critical assets and tracking their maintenance records to improve records management and enable earlier identification of systemic issues through data analysis. 

Environment Policy

In 2022, we developed a stand-alone Environmental Policy to help guide our organizational and day-to-day operational
decisions. Our policy outlines our philosophy and responsibility regarding care, compliance, community, customers, communication, and continuous improvement.

Biodiversity

We recognize the value of biodiversity and the importance of preserving air quality, water quality, wildlife, and natural habitats and reclaiming the landscape to promote biodiversity in areas where we work. We are focused on new technology, scientific research, partnerships, investments, and policy to protect ecosystems and implement best practices.

Asset Retirement Obligations and Land Use

As a responsible operator, we aim to execute sustainable asset development throughout an asset’s lifecycle. Our goal is to meet or exceed regulatory requirements and return disturbed land to an equivalent pre-disturbance land capability or to meet the environmental criteria required for its next intended use.

In 2022, we spent nearly $10 million on environmental assessments, well abandonments, decommissioning, remediation, and reclamation activities. Completed activities included:

  • Ten wells cut and capped
  • Three wells downhole abandoned
  • Two caverns with pre-abandonment work
  • 17 environmental site assessments
  • Ten site-specific liability assessments
  • 15 sites undergoing decommissioning, remediation, and/or reclamation at various stages
  • One well site reclamation certificate was obtained
2022 Sustainability Report