One step forward, two steps back for Nova Scotia offshore oil and gas

Brian Zinchuk

Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online

The Sable Offshore Energy Project was abandoned in 2018, meaning Nova Scotia is no longer a gas producer. File photo

Nova Scotia’s government in recent years has done a complete turnabout when it comes to oil and gas. From removing the ban on fracking to actively seeking offshore oil and gas exploration, the Conservative government under Premier Tim Houston was actively seeking to make his province a notable hydrocarbon energy producer again. (Offshore gas production ended several years ago.)

So with that in mind, his Facebook post of Oct. 26 reflected on the province’s one step forward, two steps back. He said:

There is no question that this is a setback. We have worked hard to put the Nova Scotia offshore back in the global discussion. We will keep at it and remain fully committed to seeing our offshore once again responsibly developed.

Our past success in the sector – the Deep Panuke Offshore Gas Project and Sable Offshore Energy Project – saw hundreds of Nova Scotian families employed right here at home and brought in billions of dollars that helped build schools, hospitals and roads and fuelled the provincial economy.

We remain confident that we can once again see this type of positive impact.

But, it is also true that hard things are hard but we will continue laying the groundwork for a stronger, more resilient Nova Scotia that can stand on its own and meet the challenges of tomorrow.