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

Marginal note:Final reports

• 187 (1) An operator must ensure that a final operations report, final data processing report and final interpretation report are submitted to the Board with the acquired data referred to in subsection (5), as applicable, within 12 months after the day on which any geoscientific program, geotechnical program or environmental program is concluded, unless a longer period has been agreed to in writing by the Board.

• Marginal note:Content of final operations report

  (2) The final operations report must contain the following documents and information:

  • (a) the program number assigned by the Board;

  • (b) the title, author and date of the report;

  • (c) an executive summary and table of contents;

  • (d) the names of the operator, contractors and any interest owner, as defined in section 49 of the Act;

  • (e) a description of all operation sites and any support craft used for the program;

  • (f) a description of the program, including

    • (i) key dates, in particular its commencement, suspension and completion dates,

    • (ii) the equipment used,

    • (iii) the operational methods employed,

    • (iv) the number of persons who were involved in the program, and

    • (v) the quantity of data collected, broken down by data acquisition technique;

  • (g) location maps illustrating details of the data acquisition activities carried out under the program, including the identification and location of data collection points, lines or areas and the type of data acquired;

  • (h) location maps illustrating the boundaries of each area covered by the program and any portion of those areas that is subject to an interest, as defined in section 49 of the Act, as well as the identification number of each such interest;

  • (i) a schedule that specifies the type and duration of all program activities and includes any period in which data acquisition was delayed or interrupted;

  • (j) an indication as to the accuracy of the navigation system and of the positioning and survey systems, as well as the parameters and configuration of both the energy source and recording system; and

  • (k) shotpoint maps, track plots, flight lines with numbered fiducial points, gravity station maps, location maps for any samples or core holes, copies of any photographs and a list of any videos.

• Marginal note:Content of final data processing report

  (3) The final data processing report must contain the following documents and information:

  • (a) the documents and information referred to in paragraphs (2)(a) to (d), (g) and (k);

  • (b) a description of the program, including the quantity of data collected, broken down by data acquisition technique; and

  • (c) a description of the geoscientific data acquired, including the data processing sequence and parameters.

• Marginal note:Content of final interpretation report

  (4) The final interpretation report must contain the following documents and information, as applicable:

  • (a) the documents and information referred to in paragraphs (2)(a) to (e);

  • (b) bathymetric or topographic maps compiled from the data collected;

  • (c) a description and interpretive maps of the acquired data, including

    • (i) time and depth structure and isopach maps, velocity and residual velocity maps and seismic attribute maps,

    • (ii) final Bouguer gravity maps and any residual or other processed gravity maps,

    • (iii) final total magnetic intensity contour maps and any residual, gradient or other processed magnetic maps,

    • (iv) final controlled-source electromagnetic resistivity maps,

    • (v) surficial maps generated from any seabed, geohazard or pipeline route survey, and

    • (vi) any geological maps;

  • (d) a description and analysis of the interpretation of the data with respect to

    • (i) geological and geophysical correlations,

    • (ii) correlations between gravity, magnetic, seismic and controlled-source electromagnetic data, including correlations to any data acquired during previous surveys,

    • (iii) in the case of seabed surveys, the geophysical correlation between shallow seismic data and data from cores and geotechnical boreholes,

    • (iv) corrections or adjustments that were applied to the data during processing or compilation,

    • (v) the velocity information that the operator used in a time-to-depth conversion,

    • (vi) cores and samples,

    • (vii) other geoscientific and geotechnical analyses, and

    • (viii) geohazards; and

  • (e) a description of

    • (i) synthetic seismograms,

    • (ii) seismic modelling studies that use synthetic seismograms,

    • (iii) vertical seismic profiles at wells that were used in the interpretation of the data,

    • (iv) amplitude versus offset studies,

    • (v) seismic inversion studies, if any, and

    • (vi) any other seismic studies related to the program.

• Marginal note:Acquired data

  (5) The following acquired data must accompany the final reports, as applicable:

  • (a) time-stamped track plot, shotpoint and sample location data;

  • (b) bathymetric data;

  • (c) all final processed seismic data for each 2-D seismic line in time and depth;

  • (d) all final processed 3-D volumes and each line generated from that volume in time and depth;

  • (e) any vertical seismic profiles, synthetic seismograms, amplitude versus offset data and seismic inversion data;

  • (f) in the case of any seabed, geohazard or pipeline route survey,

    • (i) processed high-resolution data for each line,

    • (ii) digital location maps for any samples,

    • (iii) any photographs and videos, and

    • (iv) sub-bottom profiler and side-scan sonar data;

  • (g) in the case of an environmental program, any photograph, video or other graphic information that is relevant and contributes to the interpretation of the final data and the drafting of the final report;

  • (h) in the case of a gravity or magnetic survey, a series of gravity and magnetic profiles across all gravity and magnetic surveys; and

  • (i) in the case of controlled-source electromagnetic data, final processed cross-sections on all receiver lines, curves from all receivers and all 2-D and 3-D final models generated.

• Marginal note:Incorporation of previous data

  (6) The operator must incorporate into any map referred to in paragraph (4)(b) that is included in a final interpretation report any data previously collected by the operator that are related to the area covered by the map and that are of a type similar to the data from which the map was produced.

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.