Over the summer of 2017, the C-NLOPB has been focused on a number of important new initiatives within the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area in addition to our ongoing regulatory oversight of petroleum-related activities.
The new Hebron platform required authorizations for its tow to field and to begin drilling. These were significant undertakings for staff from a number of our departments, including Safety, Environmental Affairs, Operations, Resource Management, Regulatory Coordination and Legal Affairs. Those departments were also busy with the efficient rig intake and authorization processes for the Transocean Barents, which is now operating here for the first time, and a number of other specialty vessels undertaking construction and other activities. There are also several seismic data acquisition programs underway in the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area.
Staff are also carefully reviewing with Husky Energy the commitments in the approved Development Plan Amendment for the West White Rose Extension Project, now that Husky and its co-venturers have sanctioned the wellhead platform project. We are also engaging in collaborative initiatives with respect to asset life extension and sub-sea tiebacks, and have updated several pieces of guidance and codes of practice. Work continues to support regulatory reform by governments, along with the federal government’s review of environmental assessment processes. We are updating the Board’s Labrador Shelf Strategic Environmental Assessment. On that note, one of the highlights of the summer was our Board’s trip to Goose Bay in June, for Labrador Expo and a number of productive meetings with local groups.
Leading into the fall, the Board will engage in Offshore Europe, annual meetings of the International Regulators Forum and the Upstream Forum, and we are very much looking forward to co-hosting a Workshop and Symposium on “Safety and Integrity Management of Operations in Harsh Environments” in October with Memorial University’s Centre for Risk, Integrity and Safety Engineering.
In the meantime, here’s hoping for a safe and happy rest of summer and return to school next month!