- Three shallow water Board-posted parcels in water depths between 50 – 450 metres in the Carboniferous Sydney Basin.
- Proven gas charge in shallow Pennsylvanian sandstone reservoirs encountered in both Sydney Basin offshore exploration wells.
- Exploration wells penetrate less than 2 kilometres, the deeper and most prospective Horton and Windsor Groups are untested.
- Oil and gas prone lacustrine shales of the Horton Group are an effective source rock in other nearby analogous basins, and are interpreted to be present in the Sydney Basin.
The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB) is the independent joint agency of the Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia responsible for the regulation of petroleum activities in the Nova Scotia Offshore Area. It was established in 1990 pursuant to the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Accord Implementation Acts (Accord Acts). Refer to www.cnsopb.ns.ca for more information regarding Offshore Activity, Health & Safety, Environment, Canada-Nova Scotia Benefits, Lands Management, Geoscience and other reference materials.
The Call for Bids
Managing and administering offshore petroleum rights begins with rights issuance. Through an established Call for Bids process that is open and transparent, the CNSOPB issues exploration rights for approved parcels of Crown Reserve Lands in the form of Exploration Licences.
A Call for Bids is a formal announcement by the CNSOPB that a licence is available to be awarded through a competitive bidding process. The land (parcel) in which the licence is available for bidding has been nominated by industry or posted by the Board.
The making of a Call for Bids and the issuance of an Exploration Licence are "fundamental decisions" within the Accord Acts, and as such are subject to review by the Minister of Natural Resources for Canada and the Minister of Energy for Nova Scotia.
At the close of the Call for Bids, if no bids are received on a particular parcel or parcels, those lands remain as Crown Reserve Lands.
The Parcels
The CNSOPB has conducted a geological and geophysical assessment of the Parcels using all available data. To access this information, follow this link: NS17-1 Parcels.
Seismic and well data for the parcels is available, free of charge, in digital format from the CNSOPB's Data Management Centre.
Bids must be received by 4:00 p.m. Atlantic Time, December 14, 2017.
Written Comments
The CNSOPB has provided an opportunity for public input, specific to the areas included in Call for Bids NS17-1, through the submission of written comments. Comments were due 4:00 p.m. Atlantic Time, September 25, 2017. Please refer to the written comments section.
Government Links
Please refer to the Links page for a list of government links, including the Nova Scotia Department of Energy's Oil and Gas Exploration Economic Model (Scoping Tool).