The short answer
Energy and industrial insurance protects operators and contractors in oil and gas, power generation, mining and manufacturing. It usually combines property cover for facilities and equipment, equipment breakdown, liability for harm to others, and income protection, with specialist add-ons for construction, environmental and contractor risks. A licensed commercial broker builds the programme from the operation, its processes and its contracts.
- Oil and gas operators, service companies and their contractors
- Developers and owners of solar, wind and other power projects
- Manufacturers and processors with machinery and a skilled workforce
- Mining and aggregate operations with heavy equipment
- Industrial service providers working on other companies' sites
2 licensed brokers in the network handle this. In Alberta, Canada, a request for energy and industrial insurance can be offered to up to three of them, chosen because they are licensed for this line and place. They are test brokers while we are in demo.
See the brokers → Outside Alberta, Canada you can prepare and save a request today; sending opens place by place. Brokers answer with their own quotes. Broker.insure does not quote, advise or take commission.
01 / What it covers
The parts worth understanding
Property and plant
Buildings, tanks, pipelines, turbines, panels and process equipment against fire, explosion and other physical loss. Values need to reflect specialized replacement, not generic building cost.
Equipment breakdown
Sudden mechanical or electrical failure of machinery, such as a turbine, compressor or control system. Often not part of a basic property form and arranged on its own.
Liability
Claims for injury or damage to others from operations, products or completed work, including contractual liability under master service agreements that move risk between parties.
Business interruption and delay
Lost income while a plant or project is stopped by a covered event, and for new builds, delay in start-up caused by a covered loss. Requires careful financial modelling.
Environmental and pollution
Costs and claims from releases of fuel, chemicals or produced water. General liability usually limits pollution cover, so a separate policy is commonly considered.
Contractors and construction
Cover for projects during construction, and for the equipment and subcontractors on site. Owners and operators often require contractors to carry defined cover and name them.
02 / Get ready
Bring this, and expect these questions
Gather
- A description of operations, processes, products and the materials handled
- Locations, with ages, construction, fire protection and security
- A schedule of key equipment: make, age, replacement cost and maintenance records
- Operating records such as inspection reports, safety audits and incident history
- Annual revenue and the cost structure that continues during a shutdown
- Contracts with customers, operators or owners that set insurance and indemnity terms
- Regulatory permits, licences and compliance history relevant to the operation
- The supply chain for critical parts and the lead time to replace large equipment
- Loss history for property, liability and workers over recent years
A broker will ask
- What do you produce or do, and which processes carry the highest risk?
- What is the most valuable piece of equipment, and how long to replace it?
- How long would operations stop after a major fire or machinery failure?
- Are you an owner, an operator or a contractor on other people's sites?
- What do your contracts require you to carry, and what do they require you to indemnify?
- Do you handle fuels, chemicals or waste that could be released?
- How are inspections, maintenance and safety audits carried out and recorded?
- Have there been serious incidents, regulatory orders or near misses?
Not sure of an answer? Leave it. "Not known yet" is a fine answer, and a broker will help you fill it in.
03 / Build your request
Answer a few questions. Get your own list.
Pick what fits. Your answers shape the list beside them, and they are saved to your request as plain facts a broker can read. "Not sure yet" is always a fine answer.
04 / Three situations
See which one sounds like yours
An oilfield services company
A service firm with trucks and specialized tools works for several operators, each with its own master service agreement. Two of the agreements ask for broad indemnities, and one operator has asked to be added as an additional insured.
First steps. Send the broker the agreements, particularly the insurance and indemnity sections, and ask a lawyer to review the legal effect. Ask how the policy responds to liability assumed by contract and how additional insured wording is handled.
A developer building a small solar farm
The project is in construction, with panels and inverters arriving from overseas, and a lender needs insurance in place through commissioning and into operation. A delay in connection to the grid would affect revenue.
First steps. Provide the broker with the project schedule, equipment list and contracts. Discuss construction cover, transit of equipment, delay in start-up and how the policy changes when the project becomes operational.
A manufacturer with one critical machine
A metal fabrication shop relies on one large CNC machine that takes months to replace. A previous breakdown stopped production for weeks, and the owner is unsure whether a basic property policy would have responded.
First steps. Gather maintenance logs, the machine's replacement lead time and the shop's monthly fixed costs. Ask the broker about equipment breakdown and interruption cover, and how the downtime period and lead time are reflected in the terms.
05 / Words you will hear
The jargon, in plain words
- Equipment breakdown
- Pays when machinery fails from sudden mechanical or electrical causes, such as a burned-out motor. Normal wear and maintenance neglect are usually excluded.
- Contractual liability
- Responsibility you accept in a contract for another party losses. Industrial agreements often shift risk this way, so the wording needs to be read against your cover.
- Pollution legal liability
- Cover for cleanup costs and third-party claims after a release of fuel or chemicals. General liability forms commonly carve pollution out, which leaves a gap.
- Hot work
- Any task that makes sparks or flame, such as welding, cutting or grinding. Insurers often ask about the permit and fire watch process around it.
- Delay in start-up
- Lost income and extra costs when a covered loss during construction postpones the opening of a new plant, measured against the planned schedule.
06 / Common mistakes
What trips people up
- Valuing specialized equipment at book value rather than what it costs and how long it takes to replace.
- Treating equipment breakdown as part of a standard property policy without checking.
- Signing contracts with broad indemnities without checking how insurance responds.
- Assuming general liability covers pollution when it frequently does not.
- Insuring the operation but not the delay and income lost while repairs are made.
- Forgetting to update the insurer when processes, locations or contract types change.
Ready when you are
Turn this into one clear request.
Save it, add what you know, and choose when to send it. A licensed broker who handles energy and industrial insurance takes it from there.
07 / Questions people ask
Straight answers
What insurance do oil and gas companies need?
Commonly property cover for facilities and equipment, general and contractual liability, environmental or pollution cover, business interruption, and specialist cover for drilling, wells or contractors. The mix depends on whether you operate, own or provide services, and on what your contracts and regulators require. A broker with energy experience can map this to your role.
What is equipment breakdown insurance?
It covers sudden and accidental mechanical or electrical failure of machinery, boilers, turbines and control systems, including the cost to repair or replace and sometimes the resulting loss of income. It is separate from fire and similar perils on a property policy, which is why it is commonly arranged specifically.
Does general liability cover pollution?
Usually only in limited ways. Many liability policies exclude or heavily restrict pollution, particularly gradual releases, so operations that handle fuels, chemicals or waste often look at environmental cover. Ask your broker exactly how the pollution exclusion in your liability policy is worded, and what the alternatives are.
What insurance does a renewable energy project need?
Typically construction cover while the project is built, cover for transport of equipment, and then operational property, liability and interruption cover once it runs. Lenders and offtakers usually set requirements. Because projects vary widely by technology and location, the broker will want the contracts, schedule and equipment details.
Why do contracts matter so much for industrial insurance?
Many industrial contracts shift risk through indemnities, waivers and requirements to name other parties, and insurance is how the risk is funded. A policy may respond differently to liability you accepted by contract than to liability the law would impose. Have your broker and a lawyer review the wording before you sign.
Specialists
Sites for a specific line of work
General information, not insurance advice. Broker.insure is a directory and request service: it is not an insurer and does not quote, bind or advise. Policy terms, availability and what is required where you live depend on your situation and on licensed professionals. Updated 2026-10-31.