Nova Scotia seeking bids for offshore natural gas exploration

Fishing boats head from West Dover, N.S. on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017.

Nova Scotia is calling for bids of offshore natural gas exploration across 13 parcels along the Scotian Shelf.

The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator, which is an independent federal-provincial agency, issued the call for bids on Monday, according to a news release from the province.

The deadline to apply is April 28, 2026.

“Right now, all our natural gas is imported, and it flows either from or through the United States. We want to develop our own offshore natural gas to unlock this major economic opportunity for our province,” said Energy Minister Trevor Boudreau in the release. “This will mean good-paying jobs for Nova Scotians, growth for local businesses and long-term investment in our communities. We also need natural gas to play a key role as we move to a low-carbon economy.”

According to the release, Nova Scotia has 3.2 trillion cubic feet of offshore natural gas reserves on the Scotian Shelf, which spans 700 kilometres. Of the 13 parcels open for bids, none overlap with the Gully Marine Protected Area or the Sable Island National Park Reserve.

The Deep Panuke Offshore Gas Project and the Sable Offshore Energy Project created hundreds of jobs, according to the province.

The Nova Scotia government has made energy development a priority in recent months. Earlier this year they pitched the “Wind West” project, which would license offshore wind farms to produce 40 megawatts.

The province also lifted a moratorium on uranium mining, but last month revealed no companies have come forward with an application to explore for uranium.

-with files from The Canadian Press

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