The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) issued calls for nominations for land parcels in the Eastern Newfoundland and Jeanne d’Arc regions, the board said Sept. 19.

C-NLOPB said responses to the calls for nominations will help the board decide later this year whether to proceed with calls for bids in either of these regions in 2024 and if so, which parcels would be offered.

CNLOPB map
Closing dates on map of projected calls for bids. (Source: C-NLOPB)

Both regions include areas important to fish harvesters, the C-NLOPB said, and the board said it is important for the fisheries and petroleum sectors to engage with fisheries stakeholders, including the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-UNIFOR) and the Association of Seafood Producers, along with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), other federal and provincial agencies and other interested parties throughout the land tenure process. Earlier this year, crab harvesters called out Exxon Mobil for activities in the Jeanne d’Arc Basin.

Nominations are due on Nov. 8, and the board said it will review nominations, previous input and any new feedback from the above-noted parties and technical analysis in order to decide whether a Call for Bids will proceed in either region. If approved, the decision will be sent to both federal and provincial ministers as a Fundamental Decision. Following ministerial ratification, a call for bids would be announced in the spring of 2024 and close in November 2024, with licenses awarded to successful bidders in early 2025.

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