Cenovus Energy and its partners have agreed to restart the West White Rose Project offshore Newfoundland and Labrador. First oil from the platform is anticipated in the first half of 2026, with peak production anticipated to reach approximately 80,000 barrels per day by year-end 2029.
“The joint venture owners have worked together to significantly de-risk this project over the past 16 months. As a result, we’re confident restarting West White Rose provides superior value for our shareholders compared with the option of abandonment and decommissioning,” said Alex Pourbaix, Cenovus President & CEO. “With the project about 65% complete, combined with the work done over the past 16 months to firm up cost estimates and rework the project plan, we are confident in our decision to restart this project in 2023.”
The restart decision builds on Cenovus’s September 2021 restructuring of its working interests in the White Rose and Terra Nova fields. Cenovus and Suncor, as part of the restructuring, have entered into an agreement whereby Cenovus will decrease its working interest in the White Rose field and satellite extensions while Suncor will take a larger stake. Cenovus has reduced its stake in the original field to 60% from 72.5% and to 56.375% from 68.875% in the satellite extensions. Nalcor has a 5% working interest in the satellite fields.
Contributing to the decision to restart the project is an amended royalty structure with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador that provides safeguards to the project’s economics in periods of low commodity prices.
The project will add an expected 14 years of production to the White Rose field and is about 65% complete. The field’s production has tidewater access to global markets and receives Brent-like pricing.
