BHP Canada Exploration Drilling Project ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REPORT DECEMBER 2020 IMPACT ASSESSMENT AGENCY OF CANADA © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change (2020). Catalogue No: En106-233/2020E-PDF ISBN: 978-0-660-36401-8 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 BHP Canada BHP CANADA EXPLORATION DRILLING PROJECT i IMPACT ASSESSMENT AGENCY OF CANADA Executive Summary BHP Petroleum (New Ventures) Corporation (the Proponent) is proposing to conduct an exploration drilling project within its two exploration licences, located approximately 350 kilometres northeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, in the Atlantic Ocean. The Proponent’s offshore exploration licences are located in the Orphan Basin, both inside and outside Canada’s 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone. The Project would include exploration drilling, possible appraisal (delineation) drilling, vertical seismic profiling, well testing, well abandonment or suspension and associated supply and service activities. Up to two mobile offshore drilling units designed for year-round operations would be used for the Project, as well as supply vessels and helicopters that would travel between the drilling area and an existing supply base and airport in the St.