BP Canada given the go-ahead to start drilling off the Nova Scotia coast

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s offshore petroleum regulator has granted BP Canada Energy Group approval to begin drilling a well off the province’s coast.

The Aspy D-11 exploration well is the first in BP Canada’s Scotian Basin Exploration Project, which could see up to seven exploration wells drilled off the southeast coast of Nova Scotia over a three year period.

The oil and gas company submitted an application to the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board in September 2017 to drill a deep-water exploration well about 330 kilometres off the coast of Halifax.

In a press release issued Saturday, CNSOPB says it confirmed BP Canada has the proper equipment and procedures in place to ensure safety and environmental responsibility.

In February, Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna released a decision statement saying she determined the exploration project isn’t likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

Exploration wells are used to find gas and oil, but further approval is required before anything can be extracted.

BP Canada hasn’t said when exactly they’ll start drilling, but a spokesperson says the project will get underway “soon.”