SorbWeb™ Plus is an innovative transformer secondary oil containment system that meets the environmental guidelines of Canadian law, making it an ideal solution for controlling transformer oil spills. With effective spill prevention measures in place, utility companies can be confident they are doing their part to protect the environment and meet compliance.
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) is the major intergovernmental forum in Canada for discussion and joint action on environmental issues of national, international, and global concern.
The legislative framework behind spill management of materials (including oil containment regulations) in Canada spans all levels of government, all the way to the individual responsibility of the dischargers themselves. Oil Containment Regulations for prevention planning, notification to the proper authorities, and cleanup and restoration of the natural environment manifest themselves in many Federal Acts, including: the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), the Canada Shipping Act, and the Emergency Plans Act. Even Provincial Acts, such as the Environmental Protection Act (Ontario) and the Ontario Water Resources Act, and municipal by-laws contain rules and regulations regarding oil spills. The main focus of the requirements prescribed by these acts and others is to maintain the integrity of the natural environment and to prevent any adverse effects on the natural environment by spills.
CEPA’s Act, drafted in 1999, requires the virtual elimination of releases of substances that are persistent (take a long time to break down), bioaccumulative (collect in living organisms and end up in the food chain), toxic (according to CEPA 1999 Section 64) and primarily the result of human activities. Virtual elimination is the reduction of releases to the environment of a substance to a level below which its release cannot be accurately measured.
Given the complexity of the Canadian Environmental protection laws and guidelines, Canadian utilities and engineering firms often utilize the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) rule governed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States as a guide to create a secondary containment plan.
To the best of our knowledge, SorbWeb™ Plus is the only passive polymer-encapsulated geocomposite containment system approved by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MOECP) for use as an alternative to conventional concrete oil containment
around electrical transformers and other oil-filled equipment.
Albarrie’s secondary oil containment products meet regulatory requirements for the SPCC rule in the United States and MOECP in Canada. Our SorbWeb™ Plus, OilBlocker™ Plus, and EsterWeb™ secondary containment systems give you 24/7 protection and a virtually maintenance-free containment.
Albarrie’s Q-Max Oil Stop Valve acts as an oil-water separator. It captures hydrocarbons like diesel, natural ester, or transformer mineral oils, but allows water to pass through.
The Albarrie engineering team will work with you to help you formulate a plan to meet oil containment regulations and requirements in Canada and the United States. Including meeting the requirements set out in the REA (Renewable Energy Approval) for your Renewable Energy Project.
