Wednesday 7 March 2018

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency has commenced a federal environmental assessment for the proposed Newfoundland Orphan Basin Exploration Drilling Project, located 350 kilometres east of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, in the Atlantic Ocean.

Following a public comment period on the summary of the project description, the Agency has determined that an environmental assessment is required for the project. Information about what aspects of the environment may be affected by this project and what should be examined during the environmental assessment are detailed in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Guidelines. The EIS Guidelines have been provided to the proponent, BP Canada Energy Group ULC.

This project is one of five exploration drilling projects in the Newfoundland and Labrador offshore area that are currently undergoing environmental assessments under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012.

An application period for participant funding and a future public comment period on the summary of the proponent's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be announced at a later date.