Cenovus celebrates final stages of construction of West White Rose gravity-based structure

Maddie Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 16, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

The once-stalled West White Rose offshore lipid task caught a caller upwind this week, with a self-congratulatory property league attended by Andrew Furey, the outgoing Newfoundland and Labrador premier who championed it.

Jon McKenzie, CEO of Calgary-based vigor institution Cenovus, said the lawsuit successful Argentia Tuesday celebrated a "milestone successful the advancement of the West White Rose project."

The gravity-based factual drilling rig for the West White Rose lipid hold is astir complete, and McKenzie says it'll beryllium floated retired to the lipid tract successful the Grand Banks adjacent month.

The topside of the operation volition beryllium brought successful from Texas truthful the afloat rig tin beryllium assembled successful July. The wide size of the operation measures successful astatine 146 metres and 201,000 tonnes, according to Cenovus.

The institution plans to commencement drilling this autumn and get to archetypal lipid a fewer months into 2026, with an expected accumulation of 80,000 barrels of lipid per time by 2028.

It hasn't been a creaseless thrust getting to this point.

The White Rose task was stalled owed to the pandemic successful 2020, but N.L. Premier Andrew Furey has since doubled down connected lipid accumulation contempt the wide displacement towards greenish energy.

In that aforesaid year, the state gave Cenovus-owned Husky Energy a lifeline successful the signifier of $41.5 million— fractional the full cost.

"Environmental ideology successful our way? No problem," Furey boasted successful a code to media and concern executives Tuesday. 

"This is the merchandise Newfoundland and Labrador needs to celebrate... That's wherefore my authorities conscionable precocious announced successful our fund much enactment for lipid and gas."

Furey said the province's $90 cardinal implicit 3 years volition "encourage offshore exploration truthful we tin find that adjacent large reserve."

According to Furey, the completed hold volition make 250 imperishable jobs, and different "spin-off" jobs.

WATCH | The CBC's Abby Cole reports from Argentia:

Two-hundred skilled trades workers are onsite successful Argentia currently, says Trades N.L. labour relations manager Corey Pearson, and he's arrogant of that.

"I came present 3 years agone erstwhile the task resumed aft the shut-down," Pearson said successful an interview. "It's 1 of the proudest things I've done successful my life, [to] travel spot first-hand the men and women that amusement up wearing enactment boots."

"The prime of it… the information grounds here, that's thing Newfoundland and Labrador commercialized workers are known for astir the world," said Pearson.

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