Oil and Gas
Newfoundland and Labrador has become a hot spot in North America for oil and gas exploration and production, this recent boom has helped drive Newfoundland’s economy. Since 1997 there have been 1.2 billion barrels of oil produced, and with the exception of the recent recession period, the value of oil production has show steady growth. In 2010, oil and gas accounted for 28% of the provinces nominal GDP, coming from the production of 102.8 million barrels1.

Onshore oil and gas in western Newfoundland was first produced in 1995, when the Garden Hill South oil well on the Port au Port peninsula was producing oil at a rate of 2,000 barrels a day. There are three major oil basins known to lie beneath western Newfoundland, two of which encompass Zone 9. The Bay St. George Basin is located in the Bay St. George South region of the Zone, and the Anticosti Basin is located underneath the Port au Port peninsula and offshore of its coasts.

As of April 2010, there were seven companies with exploration rights over the Long Range region, with exploration activity occurring in Shoal Point, Garden Hill and Bay St. George South. These areas combine for four onshore exploration permits, totaling 111,494 hectares, one production lease, (Garden Hill South property, 15,875 hectares) as well as five offshore exploration licenses covering 595,335 hectares. One of the long standing companies in our region is Vulcan Minerals Inc., which has drilled over 10 exploratory wells, both shallow and deep, over there 95,619 hectares of leased land in Bay St. George South, reporting seven positive oil and gas shows2. Other companies include Canadian Imperial Venture Corp., which is working on 103,040 hectares, as well as Corridor Resources, which are working on 51,780 hectares. Both of these companies currently work offshore of the Port au Port Peninsula. Besides these land parcels currently staked, the government has come out recently with a call for bids for new exloration rights, both onshore and offshore.

Interact with the map to learn where oil wells have been drilled historically in the Zone, as well as see what areas are being worked on now by companies owning lease rights. Browse through the links to learn more, as well as stay current on any new developments in the area.

For more information on additional oil and gas exploration please review the Oil and Gas Database or Oil and Gas Permits.


Oil and Gas Related Links

Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board
  		•  Board governing legal and land issues, resource management, the environment, safety and more. Also includes reports and statistics.
    Vulcan Minerals Inc.
  		•  Contains descriptions of the area, Vulcan’s activities and prospects, as well as maps of their wells.
    Western Newfoundland Oil & Gas
  		•  Details exploration activities and investment opportunities.
    Newfoundland & Labrador Oil & Gas Industries Association
  		•  News articles on oil and gas, including prices, public affairs, company profiles, and upcoming events.
    Department of Natural Resources
  		•  Includes onshore and offshore activities, statistics on a range of oil topics, maps covering land rights and basin locations, publications covering activities and much more.
    Department of Natual Resources
  		•  Final well reports of the onshore area, containing detailed information on each well location.


    1 Economic Research and Analysis Division, Dept. of Finance. (2010). Oil and Gas. The Economic Review 2010 (pp. 9-15). Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
    2 Vulcan Minerals. (2010). Onshore petroleum, Bay St. George NL. Retrieved from http://vulcanminerals.ca/projects/onshore-petroleum-bay-st-george-nl/
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