Oil & Gas - Offshore Industry & Exploration History
July 2009 - Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board announces the results of the nominated Call for Bids NS08-2 for two new offshore Exploration Licences. BEPCo Canada Company is the successful bidder for two deep water parcels. BEPCo won rights to explore both parcels located about 160 kilometres southwest of Sable Island, with a work-expenditure bid of $6.3 million each.
June 2009 - Call NS08-2 Closes.
November 2008 - The Canada - Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board issues Call for Bids NS08-2. The Call consists of two Board nominated deep water parcels located approximately 160 km southwest of Sable Island. Bids must be received by Friday, June 26, 2009, 4:00pm Atlantic Time.
November 2008 - Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board announces the results of the industry nominated Call for Bids NS08-1 for two new offshore Exploration Licences. The successful bidder for Parcel 1 was 1164214 Alberta Ltd. with a work expenditure bid of just over $7,800,000. Parcel 2 went to Shin Han F&P Inc with a work expenditure of $129,000,000.
October 2008 – Call NS08-1 Closes.
July 2008 - Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board announces successful companies for Call for Bids (NS07-1). Two bidders, Ammonite Corporation and Catheart Energy, are expected to receive Exploration Licenses for two parcels near Sable Island. The companies bid more than $200 million.
June 2008 - The offshore board issues issued a new Call for Bids (NS08-1) for two parcels, one in shallow water and one in deeper water near Sable Island.
May 2008 – BEPCo announces that it is partnering with Norstar Asia Ltd., a South Korean investment company. BEPCo is now trying to secure an available rig to begin work on the Mon Cherie well.
December 2007 - The Canada Nov Scotia Offshore Petroleum (CNSOPB) issues a new Call NS07-1. The Call consists of two shallow water parcels located within the Sable Sub-basin, an area where 23 Significant Discoveries have been made.
October 2007 - The Nova Scotia Offshore Basin Forum was held in Halifax. The Forum brought together geoscientists and other key players in the energy industry to review current information and discuss issues, challenges and knowledge gaps in Nova Scotia's offshore geology.
October 2007 - The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board approved, with conditions, EnCana Corporation's Deep Panuke offshore gas project.
October 2007 - The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board together with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy, Natural Resources Canada and Schlumberger Information Solutions officially opened the Board's newly expanded Geoscience Research Centre (GRC) and digital Data Management Centre (DMC). The Province of Nova Scotia and the Government of Canada provided $2.4 Million in funding for expansion of the GRC and development of the DMC.
August 2006 - EnCana, operator of the Deep Panuke offshore natural gas project, filed a project description with the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB). This filing triggered the start of the environmental assessment process for Deep Panuke under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
March 2006 – The Offshore Energy Technical Research Association was established. OETR is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to fostering research to enhance petroleum exploration and development of Nova Scotia's offshore. OETR's members are Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University and Nova Scotia Energy. Funding for OETR activities and research comes from grants totaling $2.85 million from the Nova Scotia Department of Energy.
August 2002 – Marathon announces discovery on Annapolis block in Nova Scotia's first modern-era deepwater well.
June 2002 – Stand-alone Department of Energy is established with Gordon Balser as the first Minister.
April 2002 – Nova Scotia makes local gas distribution rules market-based to encourage the private sector to build new system.
January 2002 – SOEP Tier II is given the go ahead.
December 2001 – Nova Scotia releases comprehensive energy strategy designed to secure long-term value for Nova Scotians from the energy sector.
July 2001 – Sempra Atlantic Gas announces plans to relinquish local gas distribution franchise.
March 2001 – Public consultations on new energy strategy begin.
February 2001 – Nova Scotia announces sale of Nova Scotia Resources Limited's SOEP and other assets, ending the government's direct participation in offshore oil & gas exploration and production.
February 2001 – PanCanadian (later EnCana) announces plans to proceed with the Deep Panuke Project.
November 2000 – Nova Scotia Power Inc. starts burning natural gas at Tufts Cove in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
October 2000 – Governments order public review of proposed exploration activities on three exploration licenses near Cape Breton.
February 2000 – PanCanadian announces the results of exploration drilling in Deep Panuke with natural gas flows in excess of 50 mmcf/day from both the discovery well and the first declination well.
December 31, 1999 – First gas from the Sable Offshore Energy project is delivered to the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline system.
1999 – North America's largest gas plant, at Goldboro, Guysborough County, is constructed.
1999 – Oil and natural gas companies make commitments to invest a record $600 million to explore a total of 19 parcels in Nova Scotia's offshore. The investment will result in significant future exploration activity.
1998 – The province of Nova Scotia announces a new generic Royalty Regime that provides both incentives for industry to explore new areas and a higher return for the province in areas where exploration has already reduced the cost of finding new discoveries.
1998 – Regulatory approval for both the Maritimes Northeast Pipeline Project to deliver gas to markets in the Maritimes and New England and SOEP projects is granted.
1996 – The province of Nova Scotia and SOEP establish a royalty framework and the proponents file a Development Plan Application with the appropriate agencies.
1994-95 – Mobil Oil joins forces with Shell Canada to pool their discoveries and make an economical joint venture: the Sable Offshore Energy Project (SOEP).
1992 – Production begins from the Cohasset Project. It becomes Canada's first offshore production project.
1987 – Petro Canada drilled another successful well, this time on the Panuke field. In total, the Cohasset Panuke project consisted of 11 production wells on two fields and ceased production in 1999.
1987 – Oil and gas prices fall, and the Venture Project is deemed non-economic to develop. The project is put on the shelf and more than a decade will go by before interest in the project is rekindled. Technological advances, the pooling of resources by industry and an increased market demand for natural gas will make the project more economical to develop in the mid-1990s.
1986 – Canada and Nova Scotia formally implement the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord which establishes joint regulation of the Nova Scotia Offshore Area.
1985 – In partnership with Mobil Oil, Petro-Canada drilled a successful well on the Cohasset field in an attempt to evaluate the size of the oil resource. About a year later, Shell Canada Resources Ltd. Discovered oil on the nearby Panuke field.
1982 – Canada and Nova Scotia reach a landmark agreement that results in the first legislation for offshore oil & gas resource management and revenue sharing and provides a stable and predictable framework for exploring and developing the offshore area.
1979 – The Venture field is discovered and contains more gas than all other discoveries made to date, bringing the hope of a gas project in the early 1980s.
1973 – The Cohasset field is discovered, the first of two fields comprising the Cohasset Project.
1972 – Mobil Oil discovers gas near Sable Island at Thebaud - one of six fields that make up the Sable Offshore Energy Project.
1969 – Shell Canada discovers natural gas at Onondaga well south of Sable Island. Canada's first offshore discovery is made.
1967 – Mobil Oil drills the first well offshore Nova Scotia.