Provincial coffers are reaping the benefits of the search for oil and natural gas.
$2.3 million in new revenue is now on the books along with a commitment by an American energy company to spend almost $47 million on exploration.
Southwestern Energy Company of Houston has been granted a three-year licence to search on an area covering more than 934,000 hectares.
It stretches from the Richibucto-Buctouche region across the province to Charlotte County.
There is also an area of 84,000 hectares located in the southeastern half of the province.
Corridor Resources Inc. and Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc are now producing natural gas from the McCully Field in the Sussex area.
There is also a small amount of oil being produced in the Stoney Creek Field near Moncton.
