Province updates drill rules

 02 August 2012 22:59 GMT

The Canadian province of British Columbia is updating its drilling licence regulations in light of technological advances in exploration and ­development, writes Tonya Zelinsky.

The amendments to the ­Petroleum and Natural Gas Act’s regulations will align current exploration activities with the province’s regulations, according to a statement.

There will be new rules for grouping oil and gas tenures so leaseholders can concentrate on specific areas more likely to be brought into production, and they will no longer need to drill in remote areas to demonstrate exploration activity.

It is also redefining “earning well” to reflect the new technology’s ability to assess the likelihood of finding oil and gas in areas being explored for ­development.

The province expects the…

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