Three firm partnership to build structure for West White Rose offshore oil field
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
SNC-Lavalin is partnering with construction firms Pennecon and Dragados Canada to build a fixed concrete structure to support a drill rig for Husky Energy's $2.2 billion West White Rose project
MONTREAL—Engineering services firm SNC-Lavalin is partnering with Newfoundland construction firm Pennecon Ltd. and Dragados Canada, a construction company within Madrid-based contracting giant ACS Group, to build a support structure for a new offshore oil drilling operation.
The contract has been awarded to the three company partnership by Husky Energy Inc. for its West White Rose project in Newfoundland.
The partnership will build a concrete gravity structure for a fixed drilling platform. With an overall height of 145 metres and base diameter of 122 metres, the structure will require 76,000 cubic metres of concrete in its construction.
Concrete gravity structures are anchored directly onto the seabed, differing from floating oil platform support structures which are held in position by anchored wires or chains.
Once completed and installed, the structure will support a topside module to enable drilling and oil extraction 350 kilometres away from the coast of Newfoundland. The fixed drilling rig will be tied to a ship used for production, storage and offloading.
The structure will be built in Argentia, N.L., an industrial area on Newfoundland’s southwest coast, before being moved offshore.
Work on the project is expected to begin shortly with construction finishing in 2021.
“Dragados Canada is proud to collaborate with its partners and with Husky Energy in this innovative project, providing our knowledge and skills in the technically complex field of large concrete structures, as well as engaging with Newfoundland and Labrador’s workers and suppliers,” said Diego Zumaquero, Dragados Canada´s president.
The structure is a pivotal piece of the $2.2 billion West White Rose project, which is expected to start extracting oil by 2022 and achieve gross peak production by 2025.
The new West White Rose field will extract oil discovered just west of the existing White Rose field—also operated by Husky Energy.
“We are honoured to be part of such a significant project and are especially pleased to be using our infrastructure skills in the oil and gas industry,” said Ian L. Edwards, Infrastructure president, SNC-Lavalin.
