Nova Scotia taps Dalhousie University to hunt for onshore gas

The province has taken a major step toward restarting its onshore natural gas industry.

It is spending $30 million that's not in this year's budget to have Dalhousie University "better understand the nature and location" of onshore natural gas.

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Dalhousie’s acting vice-president of research and innovation said the Halifax university will conduct research to answer key questions.

"This important question is to really understand the potential for our resources to yield productive natural oil and gas, an important moment for Nova Scotians," Graham Gagnon said.

In consultation with the Department of Energy, the university will also invite and evaluate proposals from companies for exploratory drilling and will host community feedback sessions in areas where drilling is proposed.

Kim Doane, the province's executive director of energy resource development, said exploration does not necessarily lead to hydraulic fracturing, a process more commonly known as fracking.

“Just because you drill an onshore petroleum well doesn’t necessarily mean you have to use hydraulic fracturing technology,” Doane said.

A 2017 onshore petroleum atlas of the province that focused primarily on the Cumberland and Windsor-Kennetcook basins estimated there are seven trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas.

Monday's announcement comes after the government lifted a ban on hydraulic fracturing earlier this year.

The move was criticized by the Ecology Action Centre.

“We can get bigger if not just as profitable economic development and growth through green energy solutions and retrofits and the green economy,” said Badia Nehme, the centre's energy co-ordinator.

Doane, however, linked the project directly to Nova Scotia’s economic challenges.

“We have one where, you know, we’re ranked 59th out of 60 in GDP across North America and we want to improve that,” she said.

“We’re excited to use our own resources.”

The program will see Dalhousie create an oversight board and issue a call for exploration proposals in early 2026, with a final report due in December of that year.

Doane said the partnership allows the province to focus on the administrative side of the program while the university handles the research.

Regarding Indigenous engagement, Gagnon said Dalhousie is “deeply committed to working with First Nation leaders” and will work through its office of Indigenous relations starting in 2026.

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