Shell Canada has received the thumbs up to prepare for exploratory drilling in Shelburne Basin.
The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board announced its decision today.
Shell originally had a plan to deal with a subsea blowout within 21 days.
However, Board CEO Stuart Pinks says approval was given after the company changed that plan.
“We caused Shell to go back and find ways of removing any of the road blocks that might occur. Now, it’s down to between 12 and 13 days.”
Shell must receive approval before it begins drilling its first of two planned wells.
Pinks expects a request to be received in the next few days.
Shell has four years, starting this year, to drill exploratory wells at a cost of nearly one billion dollars.
The company submitted a successful bid for the area in 2012.
