British Columbia took in more than $42 million at its June 13 sale of petroleum and natural gas rights, driven largely by the sale of a single drilling licence.
Landsolutions GP Inc. picked up the 1,847-hectare drilling licence for $42.05 million, or $22,767 per hectare.
The licence includes two tracts of land for petroleum and natural gas rights below the base of the Charlie Lake formation near Halfway River First Nation and the proposed Tsaa Nuna conservancy, according to sale documents.
The licence comes with a number of caveats, including consultations with Halfway and Doig River and Blueberry River First Nations, and other measures before activity can begin.
The Halfway River First Nation has identified Tsaa Nuna as an area of cultural significance for the practice of traditional activities. While no on-site oil and gas exploration would be allowed in the conservancy if established, the province has noted that directional or horizontal rilling from outside the conservancy could still occur.
Overall, the province sold just three drilling licences at the June sale, bringing in $42.08 million and covering 2,375 hectares.
Scott Land and Lease picked up two drilling licences, one for $16,100 and another for $6,800, both near Kobes north of the Alaska Highway.
The province has earned roughly $59.5 million from land sales so far in 2018, with June the top sale year to date. The province saw a low of just $202,000 in April on the sale of two drilling licences.
The next sale is set for July 11.
