The Bay du Nord project

Illustration of floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel — Illustration of the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit

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The Bay du Nord project (BdN) consists of several oil discoveries in the Flemish Pass basin, some 500 km northeast of St. John’s in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The first discovery was made by Equinor in 2013, followed by additional discoveries in 2014, 2016 and 2020.

The Bay du Nord discovery lies in waters approximately 1170 meters deep, whilst the later discoveries are in adjacent exploration licence EL1156 (Cappahayden and Cambriol) lie in approx. 650 meters, and are potential tie-ins in a joint project development.

Equinor will develop the Bay du Nord field using a floating production unit for storage and offshore offloading (FPSO), which also is a suited solution for tie-back of adjacent discoveries and future prospects.

In May 2023, following changing market conditions and subsequent high cost inflation, Equinor and our partner BP made the difficult decision to postpone the Bay du Nord development project up to three years.

The postponement will be utilized to optimize the project and continue to actively mature Bay du Nord towards a successful development. We will continue to work with our partners, contractors, and stakeholders to further improve overall project competitiveness.

Equinor in Canada

Project location

The Bay du Nord discovery is located in the Flemish Pass offshore Newfoundland.

Map showing offshore fields and discoveries in the Flemish Pass

Benefits of the project

Bay du Nord is a unique opportunity to generate significant value and increase the capacity and global competitiveness of the Newfoundland and Labrador oil and gas supply chain.

In alignment with Equinor’s strategy for a low-carbon future, the Bay du Nord development is designed to optimise energy efficiency.

Equinor and our partners also see the opportunity to apply digitalization principles throughout the life of the field in order to improve the efficiency of the development – providing a safer workplace while working smarter.

The project is located in a harsh, deep water environment that fits well with our 50 years of experience from similar conditions on the Norwegian continental shelf.

In April 2022, the Government of Canada approved the Bay du Nord environmental assessment. More information related to the Bay du Nord environmental assessment process can be found on the Government of Canada Environmental Assessment registry website.

Procurement opportunities in the Bay du Nord Project

Equinor strongly supports building local capacity and we will prioritize goods and services from suppliers within the Province wherever possible.

Consistent with the Accord Acts, we will adopt a contracting and procurement strategy that gives first consideration to services provided from within the Province and to goods manufactured in the Province, where those services and goods are competitive in terms of fair market price, quality and delivery.

Contracts and procurement office

Equinor’s Newfoundland and Labrador-based contracts and procurement office is located in St. John’s to coordinate and manage the project's procurement-related activities in the region.

How to find us in St. John's

Equinor strongly supports building local capacity

Equinor expects successful bidders for contracts awarded for the Bay du Nord project to work together with us and the local labour force in order to optimize participation from the local marketplace in the project development.

Diversity considerations

It is important to ensure that the Bay du Nord development represents diversity of gender, age and culture. We encourage participation of corporations or cooperatives owned by members of designated groups (women, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and member of visible minorities) for the supply of goods and services.

Procurement process and strategy

All updates, bulletins, and/or clarification questions and responses pertaining to any Expression of Interest and/or prequalification package handled by Equinor will be posted on this website. Any submission which is not received by the posted deadline will be returned to the sender, unopened, and will not be given any further considerations in the specified procurement process.

Employment opportunities in the Bay du Nord project

If you’re interested in employment opportunities in the Bay du Nord Project, please note that all current and future vacancies within Equinor will be advertised on the careers section of our website.

In accordance with the Accord Acts, first consideration for employment and training opportunities will be given to qualified Canadian residents of Newfoundland and Labrador who otherwise meet all of the qualifications, experience, competencies required of candidates for employment in the position..

The timing of vacancies will be driven by the final decision to sanction the project and the overall business needs. Vacancies may be in various fields, and located both onshore and offshore.

To view and apply for vacant positions, please go to the Careers section. All current and future vacancies within Equinor will be advertised here.

Careers

Additionally, Equinor may partner with local recruitment agencies to fill temporary project roles as required.

If you are interested in working on the Bay du Nord Project, there may be opportunities during the fabrication phase with our primary contractors. As soon as we have established our primary contractors, we will add links to their websites here.

Diversity and inclusion in Equinor

At Equinor, we recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion.

We know that companies with diverse and inclusive teams outperform their peers in many ways— financially, increasing innovation, improving performance and driving long-term value creation.

Our long-term diversity goals include strengthening the diversity of our leadership, as well as building on our inclusive working environment. It is important for us to ensure diversity in terms of gender, age and culture, and we therefore encourage participation from members of designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities) in our employment and training opportunities.

Industrial benefits, gender equity and diversity

To ensure full compliance with local legislative requirements, Equinor is currently developing a benefits plan, and a gender equity and diversity plan.

The Bay du Nord project will bring important benefits to Canada, and in particular, the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. To further implement initiatives, and to ensure the fulfilment of local legislative requirements, we are currently developing a benefits plan, together with a gender equity and diversity plan.

The benefits, and gender equity and diversity plans will apply to activities undertaken in connection with the development and operation of the Bay du Nord project, and will be a guide to providing optimal benefits for the people of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Canada.

Equinor is committed to providing life-of-project reporting on the progress made toward our plans and will maintain full transparency with the provincial government and the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board throughout.

For additional information, see: Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board

Safety and sustainability in the Bay du Nord project

We aim to be an industry leader in safety and security, and sustainability, and the Bay du Nord project will be developed with this concept at the core of all activities. Fundamental to our values is the goal of zero harm to people.

Our “I AM SAFETY” program ensures our people put safety and security first in every day tasks. Our people are accountable, visible and engaged! This is the foundation of our effort to enhance our safety culture, and drive continuous attention to safety and security behaviour.

Sustainability — shaping the future of energy

The Bay du Nord project will align with Equinor's vision in pursuing sustainable development.

Managing our environmental impact

Everywhere we operate, we strive to obtain a robust understanding of the environmental and social context, and the potential impacts of developing new oil reserves. Our values will underlie the Bay du Nord Project Environmental Impact Statement, including associated Indigenous engagement. At a local level, we use collaborative research and the best available environmental impact management processes to build an understanding of, and establish actions tailored to, local conditions.

You can find more information related to the Bay du Nord environmental assessment process on the Government of Canada Environmental Assessment registry website.

Responding to climate change

We believe the world needs more climate-efficient oil and gas production, and low carbon development is core to our business. Our climate roadmap describes how we plan to maintain a low-carbon business advantage by reducing our emissions, growing new energy solutions and collaborating to amplify our positive impacts.

Creating value for society

We are committed to sustained local value creation wherever we operate. We measure our success by delivering positive outcomes to our many stakeholders. The Bay du Nord project will contribute to provincial revenues, foster the emerging global supply and service sector in Newfoundland and Labrador, create short and long-term employment opportunities, and provide support for community-based initiatives.

Community outreach and investment

Equinor is a proud supporter of youth talent development in Newfoundland and Labrador through sponsorships in arts and culture, sports and STEM (Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics) helping them to become the Heroes of Tomorrow.

Learn more about our sponsorship and community investments

If you have questions or enquiries about the Bay du Nord development, please contact us here.

For procurement and employment opportunties, see the links above.

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