The Crown petroleum and natural gas public offerings during the 2022-23 fiscal year generated more than $49 million for the Government of Saskatchewan.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Resources, the Tuesday sale — the final offering of the fiscal year — raised just over $3.1 million, bringing the total for the year up to $49,205,888.26.
During the most recent sale, 54 parcels were posted and 48 received acceptable bids, the ministry said. All told, the sale covered 6,651.74 hectares, with an average bonus bid of $466.09 per hectare.
The highest bid received on a lease was $270,891.76 for a 243.43-hectare area southwest of Lashburn, the ministry said, which was awarded to Synergy Land Services Ltd.
The greatest interest was in the Lloydminster area, the ministry said, with 12 leases in the region bringing in a total of around $1.8 million.
An exploration licence for an area northeast of Lloydminster also got a big bonus bid, with Metropolitan Resources Inc. getting the 582.75-hectare licence after a bid of $611,882.25.
The next sale is set for April 4.