Exploration for petroleum in Greenland has taken place since the 1970s. Seismic studies and exploratory drilling have been conducted both onshore and offshore, but without commercial discoveries so far. In 2002 and 2005 Encana Corporation and Nunaoil A/S were granted exploration and production licences for a region offshore South West Greenland. A new licensing round in 2006 has resulted in application from four oil companies to to explore and exploit hydrocarbons off Nuussuaq and Disko in West Greenland.
Over the years the Department of Arctic Environment has conducted a number of studies used as a background to assess the environmental impact of oil exploration, both onshore and offshore. The most recent include a "Strategic Environmental Impact Assesment" study of the Nuussuaq-Disko region.
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