NEWFOUNDLAND ORPHAN BASIN EXPLORATION DRILLING PROJECT DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REPORT November 5, 2019 IMPACT ASSESSMENT AGENCY OF CANADA © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Catalogue No: XXXXX ISBN: XXXXXXXX This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes, and in any format, without charge or further permission. Unless otherwise specified, you may not reproduce materials, in whole or in part, for the purpose of commercial redistribution without prior written permission from the Impact Assessment Agency, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3 or
[email protected] This document has been issued in French under the title: Projet de forage exploratoire dans le bassin Orphan de Terre-Neuve NEWFOUNDLAND ORPHAN BASIN EXPLORATION DRILLING PROJECT IMPACT ASSESSMENT AGENCY OF CANADA Executive Summary BP Canada Energy Group ULC (the proponent) is proposing to conduct an offshore exploration drilling program within offshore exploration licences located in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. The Newfoundland Orphan Basin Exploration Drilling Project (the Project) would involve drilling in four exploration licences (1145, 1146, 1148 and 1149) in the Orphan Basin. The closest licence is located 343 kilometres northeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Between 2021 and 2026, the proponent could drill up to twenty offshore wells. A single mobile offshore drilling unit would be used, along with supply vessels and helicopters that would travel between the drilling areas and existing shore-based facilities either in St. John’s or Bay Bulls on the island of Newfoundland and the airport in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.