SHELBURNE, N.S. – It only took a day for BP Canada Energy Group ULC (BP Canada) to spud their first exploratory well in the Scotian Basin after being given the go-ahead to begin by the Canada Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB) on April 21.
The drilling rig Seadrill West Aquarius was already onsite at Aspy D-11, after BP Canada was given authorization on April 7 by the CNSOPB to enter Canada-Nova Scotia waters, and to carry on with preparatory work in advance of its planned drilling of an exploration well.
“With BP Canada having spudded their well on April 22, 2018” an application to consolidate their four Exploration Licences (ELs) 2431, 2432, 2433, and 2434, was “reviewed and approved” by the CNSOPB on April 24. “As per the conditions outlined in the June 2017 agreement, the effective date of the consolidated EL will be the spud date for the first validation well on one of the four Els,” states a notice of consolidated licenses on the CNSOPB website. “…consolidated EL 2434R is in effect. This means that the interior boundaries of the four ELs are now merged into one, with the outer boundary remaining the same... The terms and conditions of the consolidated EL are similar to those of the four individual ELs, with work expenditures and the work deposit remaining the same.”
BP is drilling in waters 2,777m deep. “As we worked through the authorization and approval processes, we focused on ensuring that BP Canada has in place the necessary equipment, systems, operating plans and procedures, and appropriately trained and competent personnel,” said Stuart Pinks, CNSOPB CEO in a press release. “Our team is proud of our rigorous review process, and we remain diligent in our compliance monitoring to ensure BP Canada’s activities are conducted in a safe and responsible manner for the duration of the project.”
Pinks said the CNSOPB understands “that the decisions we make can impact our environment and community. Feedback from Indigenous groups and key stakeholders, coupled with our knowledge of advancing technologies and practices that may lessen the impacts, have resulted in additional requirements being placed on BP Canada. We’re confident in saying that all reasonable precautions to maintain safety and environmental protection have been taken.”
Meanwhile the Council of Canadians, the Campaign to Protect Offshore Nova Scotia (CPONS), the Sierra Club of Canada Foundation, the Ecology Action Centre and the Clean Ocean Action Committee (COAC) have been making their voices heard on the issue of offshore drilling and pending changes to federal regulations, staging two protests in Halifax during April, and delivering petitions opposing BP drilling offshore Nova Scotia to the Prime Minister's Office on April 27.
“We, the undersigned, call on Prime Minister Trudeau to stop BP from drilling up to seven exploratory wells and institute a moratorium on oil and gas exploration in offshore Nova Scotia. We further demand an end to proposed changes under Bill C-69 that would grant east coast petroleum boards more power in the environmental assessment process for Atlantic offshore drilling,” reads the online petition, which has collected over 15,000 signatures.
