Canada–Nova Scotia Offshore Area Petroleum Operations Framework Regulations (SOR/2024-26)

Marginal note:Exception — data made available to public

• 188 (1) An operator that has conducted a geoscientific program, a geotechnical program or an environmental program need not submit a final interpretation report if the data acquired from the program are made available to the public for purchase or for use under licence.

• Marginal note:Data no longer available

  (2) If the operator ceases to make data available for purchase or use under licence, the operator must ensure that, within 12 months after the day on which the operator ceased to make the data available, the final interpretation report is submitted to the Board.

Marginal note:Data purchases

• 189 (1) A purchaser of data referred to in subsection 188(1) that were acquired in an area that is subject to an interest, as defined in section 49 of the Act, must submit to the Board a final interpretation report that contains the documents and information referred to in subsection 187(4), as applicable, if the costs of the purchase of the data are to be credited against a deposit or other costs in relation to the interest.

• Marginal note:Reports from data purchaser

  (2) If the purchaser has reprocessed or reinterpreted the data, and if the costs of the reprocessing or reinterpretation are to be credited against a deposit or other costs of the interest, the purchaser must submit to the Board, with the acquired data referred to in subsection 187(5), as applicable, a final data processing report that contains the documents and information referred to in subsection 187(3) and a final interpretation report that contains the documents and information referred to in subsection 187(4), as applicable.

• Marginal note:Timing of submissions

  (3) The reports and data required under subsections (1) and (2) must be submitted by the purchaser to the Board before the costs referred to in those subsections are credited.

• Marginal note:Notice to Chief Conservation Officer

  (4) A person who has submitted a report referred to in this section must, in respect of data that pertain to shotpoints or the location of stations, notify the Chief Conservation Officer, without delay, of any errors or omissions identified in or corrections made to the data after the report is submitted.

Drilling and Production

Marginal note:Reference

190 When submitting any information to the Board about a well, pool, zone or field under these Regulations, an operator must refer to each by the name given to it under section 59 or paragraph 60(b), as the case may be.

Marginal note:Results, data, analyses and schematics

• 191 (1) An operator must ensure that a copy of the final results, data, analyses and schematics obtained from any well operation, including those obtained as a result of the following activities, is submitted to the Board:

  • (a) the testing, sampling and pressure measurements that are conducted as part of the field data acquisition program referred to in section 13 and the well data acquisition program referred to in section 18, as well as any evaluation, testing and sampling of formations that is conducted under section 62; and

  • (b) any verification conducted under paragraph 71(2)(a) and any segregation test conducted under paragraph 71(2)(b).

• Marginal note:Period for submission

  (2) Unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the Board, the operator must ensure that the copy is submitted within 60 days after the day on which the activity that gave rise to the results, data, analyses or schematics is concluded.

Marginal note:Survey

• 192 (1) An operator must ensure that a survey, certified by a person licensed under the Canada Lands Surveyors Act, is conducted to confirm the location of any well and production installation.

• Marginal note:Copy of survey plan

  (2) The operator must ensure that a copy of the survey plan is

  • (a) filed with the Canada Lands Survey Records; and

  • (b) submitted to the Board.

Marginal note:Critical information

• 193 (1) The records that must be kept under section 181 include, in the case of an operation involving drilling or production, records containing the following information and documents:

  • (a) in respect of any assessment of the efficacy of a spill-treating agent under paragraph 11(4)(a),

    • (i) a description of the assessment, including any oil samples used, and

    • (ii) a description of any tests conducted for the assessment and their results;

  • (b) information concerning the inspection of any installation and its equipment or a pipeline for corrosion and erosion and any resulting maintenance activities carried out;

  • (c) the pressure, temperature and flow rate data obtained from compressors and from systems and equipment used for treatment and processing;

  • (d) information concerning the calibration of meters and other instruments on an installation;

  • (e) information concerning the testing of subsea, surface and subsurface safety valves;

  • (f) information concerning the status of each well and the status of well operations;

  • (g) in the case of a floating platform, information concerning all loads that could affect the motions, stability or inclination of the platform, including

    • (i) data, observations, measurements and calculations related to its stability and station-keeping capability, including records of all of its movements,

    • (ii) the results of all tests and analyses conducted to assess its stability and station-keeping capability,

    • (iii) a description of every change in relation to its weight, its centre of gravity or the weight or distribution of temporary or portable equipment on it that may affect its stability, and

    • (iv) a description of the verification of the disconnect capability of any disconnectable mooring system;

  • (h) in respect of boilers and pressure systems, the documents and information referred to in paragraphs 135(12)(d) to (f);

  • (i) information concerning each formation leak-off test and formation integrity test conducted under section 70;

  • (j) the findings resulting from the verifications of temporary safe refuges required under subsection 117(3); and

  • (k) the findings resulting from the verifications of the availability and condition of life-saving appliances required under subsection 119(11).

• Marginal note:Retention periods

  (2) The operator must retain the records referred to in subsection (1) for the following periods:

  • (a) in the case of the records referred to in paragraph (1)(a), for as long as the spill-treating agent is approved for use;

  • (b) in the case of the records referred to in paragraphs (1)(b) to (f), subparagraph (1)(g)(iv) and paragraphs (1)(i) to (k), five years after the day on which the record is created;

  • (c) in the case of the records referred to in subparagraphs (1)(g)(i) to (iii), for the life of the floating platform; and

  • (d) in the case of the records referred to in paragraph (1)(h), five years after the day on which the boiler or pressure system is taken out of service.

Marginal note:Daily production record

• 194 (1) An operator must ensure that a daily production record is kept in respect of a field in which a pool or well is located until the field is abandoned and, at that time, must offer to submit the record to the Board before destroying it.

• Marginal note:Contents

  (2) The daily production record must contain, with respect to each day, the following information and documents:

  • (a) information concerning the calibration of meters and other instruments referred to in paragraph 193(1)(d);

  • (b) any measurements obtained under section 74;

  • (c) a description of the manner in which any fluids were disposed of, including through venting, burning or flaring, or transported for processing, whether through offloading or a pipeline; and

  • (d) any other information relating to the production of petroleum and other fluids from each pool or well.

Marginal note:Formation flow test records and report

195 An operator must ensure that

• (a) in respect of exploratory wells and delineation wells, a record of formation flow test results is submitted to the Board on a daily basis; and

• (b) in respect of all wells, a formation flow test report is submitted to the Board as soon as the circumstances permit after each formation flow test.

Marginal note:Pilot scheme

• 196 (1) An operator must ensure that interim evaluations of a pilot scheme referred to in section 81 are reported to the Board in writing at the intervals referred to in paragraph 81(2)(b).

• Marginal note:Report on completion

  (2) On completion of the pilot scheme, the operator must ensure that a report is submitted to the Board that contains

  • (a) the results of the scheme and supporting data and analyses; and

  • (b) the operator’s conclusions as to the potential of the scheme for application to full-scale production.

Marginal note:Daily reports

197 An operator must ensure that the following reports are submitted to the Board on a daily basis:

• (a) a daily operations report that contains

  • (i) a description of the works and activities that were carried out on the installation on the previous day and the current status of those works and activities,

  • (ii) a description of the works and activities that are expected to be carried out on the installation on the day on which the report is submitted,

  • (iii) a summary of the verification, inspection, monitoring, testing, maintenance and operating activities critical to safety that were carried out on the previous day,

  • (iv) a summary of the physical and environmental conditions that were observed under section 42 on the previous day,

  • (v) a summary of the information referred to in paragraph 193(1)(g) that was obtained on the previous day, and

  • (vi) any other information that is necessary to indicate the status of operations on the installation;

• (b) a daily drilling report that contains

  • (i) the daily and cumulative costs of operating the installation,

  • (ii) all well and casing data obtained on the previous day,

  • (iii) a description of the properties of the drilling fluid and all drilling fluid gas readings from the previous day,

  • (iv) a summary of any directional and deviation surveys carried out the previous day,

  • (v) a description of the formations encountered on the previous day,

  • (vi) the results of any blowout preventer test carried out on the previous day and the date of the most recent test, and

  • (vii) the results of any formation leak-off tests or formation integrity tests referred to in section 70 that were carried out the previous day;

• (c) a daily geological report, consisting of well and field data acquired the previous day through the programs referred to in sections 13 and 18 , geological assessments made the previous day and any other information that is relevant to those assessments; and

• (d) in the case of a production installation, a daily production report that contains a summary of the information referred to in paragraphs 193(1)(a) to (c) in relation to the previous day and a summary of the daily production record referred to in section 194.

Marginal note:Monthly production report

198 An operator must ensure that a report summarizing the production data collected during a given month is submitted to the Board not later than the 15th day of the subsequent month.

Marginal note:Well records and reports

• 199 (1) An operator must ensure that

  • (a) a well termination record is submitted to the Board in respect of a well within 21 days after

    • (i) the day on which the well is abandoned,

    • (ii) the day on which the well is suspended if the suspension is planned to be for a period that is longer than 21 days, or

    • (iii) the day on which the well is completed or recompleted;

  • (b) a well operation report is submitted to the Board in respect of a well that requires a workover or intervention within 30 days after the day on which the workover or intervention is completed;

  • (c) a well history report is submitted to the Board in respect of a development well within 45 days after the day referred to in subparagraph (a)(i), (ii) or (iii), as the case may be;

  • (d) a well history report is submitted to the Board in respect of an exploration or delineation well within 90 days after the day referred to in subparagraph (a)(i), (ii) or (iii), as the case may be; and

  • (e) the actual cost breakdown of all well operations is submitted to the Board within 90 days after the day on which a well is abandoned, suspended or completed.

• Marginal note:Well termination record — contents

  (2) The record required under paragraph (1)(a) must describe the manner in which the well has been abandoned, suspended, completed or recompleted and must include a schematic of the well illustrating the nature and location of the plugs used to abandon or suspend the well or the equipment used to complete or recomplete the well.

• Marginal note:Reports — contents

  (3) The reports required under paragraphs (1)(b) to (d) must contain a record of all operational, engineering, petrophysical, geophysical and geological information that is relevant to the well operation, including any problems encountered during the well operation and the results of any formation leak-off test or formation integrity test conducted under section 70.

• Marginal note:Impact description

  (4) The report required under paragraph (1)(b) must describe any impact of the workover or intervention on the performance of the well, including any effect on productivity, injectivity and the recovery of petroleum.

Marginal note:Environmental report — drilling

200 An operator must ensure, in relation to a drilling program that involves an exploratory well or a delineation well, that an environmental report that contains the following documents and information is submitted to the Board within 90 days after the day referred to in subparagraph 199(1)(a)(i), (ii) or (iii), as the case may be:

• (a) a summary of the physical and environmental conditions under which the drilling program was conducted and, if applicable, a description of ice management activities and non-productive time caused by meteorological or ice conditions;

• (b) a summary of the environmental protection measures in place during the drilling program, the measures taken to mitigate the effects of any reportable incident, the effectiveness of those measures and any adjustments made for their continued improvement;

• (c) a summary of the performance of the drilling program in relation to the environment, including in relation to the objective of reducing environmental risks;

• (d) a summary of any emergency response drills and exercises for the protection of the environment that were completed; and

• (e) all wildlife observation data that was required to be recorded under paragraph 181(1)(e).

Marginal note:Annual environmental report — production and pipeline

201 An operator must ensure, in relation to a production project or pipeline project, that an environmental report that contains the following documents and information with respect to a given calendar year is submitted to the Board not later than March 31 of the subsequent year:

• (a) a summary of the general physical and environmental conditions to which each operations site was subjected;

• (b) a description of any ice management activities carried out;

• (c) a summary of the environmental protection measures in place, the measures taken to mitigate the effects of any reportable incident, the effectiveness of those measures and any adjustments made for their continued improvement;

• (d) a summary of the performance of the project in relation to the environment, including in relation to the objective of reducing environmental risks;

• (e) a summary of any emergency response drills and exercises for the protection of the environment that were completed; and

• (f) all wildlife observation data that were required to be recorded under paragraph 181(1)(e).