- Two industry nominated parcels in shallow water area of Sable Subbasin.
- Bordered by:
- Four Production Licences of ExxonMobil’s Sable Offshore Energy Project which has produced over 2 Trillion cubic feet of gas
- Ten Significant Discoveries containing 1.3 Trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas and 15 Million Barrels of recoverable oil.
- Six leads identified with additional hydrocarbon potential in salt related traps.
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 and Mines 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: NS18-3 Geoscience Report.
Geophysical 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, May 8, 2019.
Written Comments
The CNSOPB has provided an opportunity for public input, specific to the areas included in Call for Bids NS18-3, through the submission of written comments. Comments are due 4:00 p.m. Atlantic Time, February 8, 2019. 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 and Mines' Oil and Gas Exploration Economic Model (Scoping Tool).