The Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Energy Regulator (C‑NLOER) is issuing Calls for Bids for Exploration Licences in the Eastern and South Eastern Newfoundland Regions.

Call for Bids No. NL26‑CFB01 (Exploration Licences, Eastern Newfoundland Region) consists of 13 parcels and a total of 2,906,633 hectares. The parcels are located on lands that have been previously offered and include a mix of original configurations, parcels returned to Crown reserve, and areas reconfigured following technical assessment.

Call for Bids No. NL26‑CFB02 (Exploration Licences, South-Eastern Newfoundland Region) consists of three parcels and a total of 777,157 hectares. These parcels have been previously offered and remain unchanged.

Interested parties have until 12:00 p.m. Newfoundland Time on November 4, 2026, to submit sealed bids.

The sole criterion for selecting a winning bid will be the total amount of money the bidder commits to spend on exploration of the parcel during Period I (the first six years of a nine-year licence). The minimum bid for the parcels offered is $10,000,000 (CAD) in work commitments.

These Calls for Bids reflect ongoing work by the C-NLOER and governments to support exploration. A new condition in the bid package requires prospective bidders to engage confidentially with the provincial government on its Offshore Exploration Fund. The C‑NLOER will continue to work with the federal and provincial governments to strengthen the competitiveness of the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area, including measures to reduce the time required for approvals and authorizations, and to move from discoveries to production.

The issuance of these Calls for Bids has been ratified by the federal and Newfoundland and Labrador governments. Government approval will also be required for the awarding of any Exploration Licences to successful bidders in early 2027.

The C-NLOER recognizes that the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area includes important areas for fish harvesters and will continue to engage with fisheries stakeholders, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Indigenous groups and other interested parties throughout the land tenure process.

Safety and environmental protection are paramount in all Regulator decisions. The C-NLOER supports federal and provincial action to address climate change and protect the marine environment and works closely with governments, Indigenous groups and others in this regard. Some parcels in these 2026 Calls for Bids overlap the Northeast Newfoundland Slope Marine Refuge and the C-NLOER will continue to work closely with DFO and others to support conservation objectives of environmentally notable areas.

Planning, monitoring and assessment of offshore petroleum activities will ensure development occurs in an environmentally responsible manner. The timing, spatial extent and nature of proposed oil and gas activities, in addition to mitigations already prescribed by legislation or regulation, will determine the level of restriction or mitigation that may be required. Regional and/or site-specific mitigation measures to be undertaken before and during petroleum-related operations within a licence area will be conditions of C-NLOER approvals and authorizations. Emissions-related considerations will be assessed as part of the regulatory review process when companies propose specific activity plans.

For any lands entirely or partially beyond Canada’s 200 nautical mile zone, additional terms and conditions may be applied (through legislation, regulations, amendments to licences or otherwise) to any resulting licence from a Call for Bids in order to meet obligations under article 82 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The C-NLOER has decided not to proceed with a 2026 Call for Bids in the Jeanne d’Arc Region. Future decisions for this Region will continue to be assessed annually based on nominations, stakeholder feedback and land tenure considerations.

Any updates to these Calls for Bids will be posted on the C‑NLOER website.

Further detailed information about these Calls for Bids is available here.

Any parties interested in receiving email notifications on Scheduled Land Tenure related announcements can contact Stephanie Johnson at sjohnson@cnlopb.ca.

Media Contact:
media@cnlopb.ca

Stakeholder Contact:
Stephanie Johnson, P.Geo
Senior Director, Offshore Resources and Data
sjohnson@cnlopb.ca

News Releases 2026