Prince George, BC – Sales of petroleum and natural gas rights in the province topped $20-million dollars last month, bringing the year-to-date total to more than $118-million dollars.

The Provincial Government says key parcels included in May’s sale included two drilling licences approximately five-kilometres south of Taylor which earned more than $4.3-million dollars.  Ministry officials say another large drilling licence 110-kilometres northwest of Fort St. John earned close to $11-million dollars in tender bonus at a price of $4,755 per hectare.

Drilling licences provide exclusive right to explore for petroleum and natural gas, with primary terms of three, four, or five years, while leases provide the sucessful bidder with the exclusive right to produce petroleum and natural gas for five or ten year terms.