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Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial government has signed an agreement with Equinor and BP to open the path for construction and production of the Bay du Nord offshore oil project.
“Newfoundland and Labrador is officially back in the oil and gas business,” Premier Tony Wakeham told a room of supporters and industry leaders at the Delta Hotel in downtown St. John’s on Tuesday.
The agreement between the province, Equinor and BP marks the next step in making the delayed project a reality.
A final investment decision for Bay du Nord is scheduled for next year, with first oil planned for 2031. If the project proceeds, it will become the province’s first new standalone offshore oil and gas development since Hebron, its first deepwater project and its fourth producing oil field in the offshore.
“What I’ve been told is that once a project’s reached this stage, that 90 per cent or more of them go on to final sanctions. So, I’m pretty confident of what’s been accomplished here today,” Wakeham told reporters after his address.
The provincial government has announced a key step toward developing Canada’s first deepwater offshore oil project: a benefits agreement with Norway’s Equinor and BP to develop the Bay du Nord oil field 500 kilometres east of Newfoundland. Mark Quinn reports
The government said the agreement exceeds what was negotiated in 2018, according to a government news release shortly published after Wakeham’s announcement, and will provide up to $6.4 billion in direct revenue to the province in the first phase of the project.
The deal also allows the province to take an up to 10 per cent equity stake in the project. Wakeham said that’s actively being explored, and it could translate to hundreds of millions in additional revenue.
It’s also the first “life-of-field” benefits agreement for an oil and gas project in the province, according to the release.
That kind of benefits agreement ensures a focus on benefits throughout the project’s life, the release said. It also includes royalties, and guarantees more than 31 million person-hours of work over a quarter century.
It also includes a commitment to build at least 95 per cent of subsea components in Newfoundland and Labrador. Wakeham said expressions of interest have already been issued for construction work by Equinor, including the topsides components.
“They’ve issued the expression of interest for topside work, but it comes down to whether or not Newfoundland and Labrador companies can provide, compete on time and on their schedule,” Wakeham told reporters.
There’s also employment targets for skilled trades apprentices — a promise Wakeham made during his election campaign that helped him gain the backing of influential labour group TradesNL. It will work out to be 10 per cent for construction and 15 per cent for onshore operations.
A new vision
Equinor reshaped Bay du Nord after postponing it in June 2023 because of skyrocketing costs.
The Norwegian energy giant had planned to proceed to what’s called Decision Gate 2 in December, which would see them move forward with front end engineering and design work, and early procurement.
But the company hit the pause button following a change in government to give the PCs time to transition into power and begin talks on a benefits agreement.
“From the outset, the premier was clear that any agreement must deliver real and lasting value for the people of this province, and that clarity shaped our discussions,” said Tore Løseth, country director with Equinor.
“We see this agreement as the beginning of the next chapter of this partnership.”
The development is located approximately 500 kilometres offshore in the Flemish Pass Basin in water depths of about 1,200 metres.
Wakeham said the deal will see Equinor and BP spend $3.2 billion in capital expenditures and $15 billion in operating expenditures over the its lifetime, and that this deal could make way for other projects down the line.
“Bay du Nord is not the finish line of our ambition in this sector. It is the starting line,” he said.
Federal support
The next step, Wakeham said, is working with the federal government to ensure that Bay du Nord becomes designated as a project of national importance. He thanked Prime Minister Mark Carney by name, calling him a steadfast supporter of the project.
“Where once the federal government told us what we cannot do, we now have a partner who is asking about what we can do,” Wakeham said. “The sun is shining on our offshore, because cannot will be no more.”
Federal Fisheries Minister and St. John’s East MP Joanne Thompson said the project will give Newfoundland and Labrador a competitive advantage in the industry, should it proceed.
“The Bay du Nord project is a generational one. It is a $14 billion investment with the potential to shape Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy for decades,” Thompson said. “This project means real, lasting prosperity for families and communities across the province and across Canada.”
N.L. keeps ownership of Bull Arm
In tandem with Tuesday’s announcement, the province also said it cancelled a non-binding memorandum of understanding that would have seen North Atlantic take control of the Bull Arm fabrication site in Trinity Bay.
That MOU was announced in July 2025, and set the stage for the site to become what North Atlantic called a “renewable energy hub.”
Instead, Wakeham said the province will now maintain ownership of the site. The agreement signed Tuesday included $200 million from Equinor towards construction of a large floating dry dock at the site.
Wakeham said building the dry dock will create hundreds of jobs and long-term opportunities for the province’s skilled trades workers. He added that the province will look to work with other partners, including the federal government, to split the rest of the bill.
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