Reporting errors in oil and gas

Reporting errors are defined as missing or incomplete data reported to Petrinex or the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources (EMPR).

Most errors relate to facility operators, but there are reporting errors for royalty taxpayers and the first purchaser of oil. These errors include:

• Outstanding or uncorrected errors and missing submissions by facility operators by the reporting deadline
• Valuation errors for first oil purchasers
• Valuation and pricing errors for royalty taxpayers by the reporting deadline

Petrinex reporting errors

Petrinex reporting errors are generated as follows:

1. Petrinex validates data as it is received
2. Invalid data results in an error message that is immediately relayed to facility operators

You are encouraged to proactively monitor for reporting errors because penalties can be avoided if the errors are corrected before the reporting deadline.

Types of Petrinex reporting errors

• VME Errors – Volumetric Balancing and Missing Data Errors (facility operators, excluding waste plant operators)
• WPE Errors – Waste Plant Balancing and Missing Data Errors (waste plant operators)
• PLS Errors – Pipeline Splits Missing / Incomplete Compliance and Balancing Errors (facility operators)
• OVE Errors – Oil Valuation Compliance and Balancing Errors (royalty taxpayer and oil purchaser)
• RTP Errors – Royalty/Tax Payer Missing/Incomplete Errors (royalty taxpayer)
• NSV Errors - NGL and Sulphur Valuation Ensure Complete Errors (royalty taxpayer)
• ENC Error – Marketable Gas, and Natural Gas By-Product Allocations

Reporting errors may be warnings, while others may generate a penalty, deemed royalty or both.

Avoiding Petrinex reporting errors

Petrinex provides reports and processes to help you identify and correct deficiencies in reporting before penalties are applied at the reporting deadline.

Business Associates in Petrinex have the ability to request reports from Petrinex at any time of the month to identify balancing errors as well as missing and incomplete data for all their reporting requirements. To minimize errors, you are responsible to run non-compliance and completeness reports up to and including the deadline day.

Petrinex automatically runs non-compliance and completeness reports for all Business Associates each month, two days before the various filing deadlines for the respective data (e.g. volumetric non-compliance reports will run two days before the volumetric reporting deadline). Petrinex will notify you of any error or warning messages relating to the error types listed above.

Non-compliance reports are sent to the Business Associates’ Petrinex inbox. If the Business Associate requests email notifications, you will be notified of the successful completion of the report.

Error reports available from Petrinex

• Volumetric Noncompliance Report – Summary and Detail
• Waste Plant Noncompliance Report
• Pipeline Split Missing/Incomplete Report
• Oil Valuation Compliance and Balancing Report
• Royalty/Tax Payer Missing/Incomplete Report

The error reports contain the Petrinex error number and message. For some error messages, there is no penalty related to it and the non-compliance fee states “no charge.” This error message is for you to understand the acceptable tolerances. 

Refer to Petrinex Error Messages and Associated Penalties (PDF, 240KB) for a list and description of Petrinex error codes and associated B.C. government penalties.