Cenovus begins tow-out of West White Rose CGS, anticipates first-half 2026 production
Editor's Note: Updated June 13 to reflect Kiewit confirmation of the topsides sailaway.
Key Cenovus West White Rose project developments
- Cenovus is transporting the 210,000-tonne concrete gravity structure (CGS) to the White Rose field area, with topsides soon to follow for final assembly and commissioning.
- The project will be developed via a fixed drilling platform connected to the existing FPSO, extending resource access west of the original White Rose field.
- First oil is expected by mid-2026.
Cenovus Energy Inc., Calgary, has advanced its West White Rose satellite project with the concrete gravity structure (CGS) now en route to White Rose field.
The West White Rose Project, which lies about 350 km east of Newfoundland and Labrador in about 120 m of water, will be developed through a fixed drilling platform consisting of the CGS, built by SNC Lavalin-Dragados-Pennecon, and an integrated topsides module.
The 210,000-tonne CGS spent a month at the head of Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, where it was made ready for towing and ballasted to a draft of 65 m, the company said via its official LinkedIn account June 13. CGS tow-out and installation is contracted to Aker Solutions Marine Contractors Ltd.
As of early May, the topsides module was “being prepared for sail out to the field with the transportation vessel…on site in Ingleside, [Tex.]” said Jon McKenzie, Cenovus Energy’s chief executive officer, on a May 8 call with analysts. Topsides fabrication and construction were contracted to Kiewit Offshore Services Ltd. In a post to its LinkedIn account June 11, Kiewit said the "largest single-piece topside ever built at Kiewit Offshore Services in Ingleside, Texas," was en route to Newfoundland some 3,400 miles away.
In July, McKenzie said on the call, once the CGS is placed on the seabed, “we’ll bring the topsides from Bull Arm, and we'll mate them up with the gravity-based structure. From there, there's a few months of commissioning and start-up work.”
Drilling is expected by this year’s fourth quarter with an eye toward first production in second-quarter 2026, he said, noting “it's a pretty exciting time and this is becoming very real, very, very quickly.”
Cenovus is operator and majority owner of White Rose field and satellite extensions, which lie in the Jeanne d’Arc basin. The original field was developed through subsea technology, consisting of three drill centers tied back to a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel. The West White Rose Project will access additional resources to the west of the field through the fixed drilling platform tied back to the existing SeaRose FPSO.
Cenovus agreed in 2022 to restart the West White Rose project after acquiring the asset in a deal with its former operator, Husky Energy Inc., which had put the project up for review during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the rime, Cenovus said it planned for first oil from the platform in first-half 2026 and expected peak production of about 80,000 b/d by yearend 2029 (OGJ Online, Oct. 26, 2020; May 31, 2022).
The West White Rose project is expected to access 200 million bbl of light crude oil and extend the life of White Rose oil field by 14 years.
About the Author
Mikaila Adams
Managing Editor - News
Mikaila Adams has 20 years of experience as an editor, most of which has been centered on the oil and gas industry. She enjoyed 12 years focused on the business/finance side of the industry as an editor for Oil & Gas Journal's sister publication, Oil & Gas Financial Journal (OGFJ). After OGFJ ceased publication in 2017, she joined Oil & Gas Journal and was named Managing Editor - News in 2019. She holds a degree from Texas Tech University.