Bay du Nord 于 2013 年由 Equinor 发现，位于纽芬兰近海约 500 公里处，水深 1,170 米。该开发项目包括 2014 年和 2016 年的发现以及最近的发现，Cappahayden 和 Cambriol，水深分别为 975 m 和 613 m，勘探许可证为 EL1156。Equinor 正在考虑将这些视为与 Bay du Nord 的潜在合作伙伴。
“自 2013 年首次发现以来，我们一直致力于使 Bay du Nord 开发项目成熟，以确保其为成功执行做好准备，”Hole 说。
在省内，Equinor 是 Energy Research and Innovation NL 的积极研究合作伙伴，Energy Research and Innovation NL 是一个非营利组织，负责确定合作研究、开发和示范机会，并代表纽芬兰和拉布拉多的海上石油和天然气促进项目行业。该公司参与了加拿大海洋超级集群，这是一个行业主导的组织，致力于推动跨部门合作，以加速创新并发展加拿大的海洋经济。Equinor 也是加拿大数字离岸项目的参与者，该项目旨在为加拿大离岸以及其他海洋行业的一系列应用开发和商业化数字孪生。
Equinor Sets the Stage for Atlantic Canada’s Low-carbon Future
Equinor establishes ambitious low-carbon goals for its deepwater Bay du Nord development in Atlantic Canada offshore Newfoundland.
“Bay du Nord has the potential to be the lowest carbon intensity project of its scale in Canada,” said Torstein Hole,country manager for Equinor Canada. (Source: Shutterstock.com)
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Judy Murray, Contributor
Many energy companies are increasing their focus on carbon capture and storage (CCS) as part of a broader move toward reducing the carbon footprint of oil and gas operations.
For some organizations, these initiatives have emerged in response to investors’ demands for better environmental stewardship. For others, where there is an established culture of addressing climate change, reducing the impact of E&P operations is integral to every decision on every development.
Equinor is one of the latter. The company is a pioneer in carbon reduction and has been setting standards for sustainable oil and gas development since it took on the challenge of establishing a CO₂ storage program on the Sleipner Field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea more than a quarter of a century ago. Since that time, the company has been involved in more than 40 CCS-related projects and continues to invest to develop increasingly effective CCS technologies.
“On average, Equinor’s fields have a carbon footprint that is less than half of the global average.”—Torstein Hole, Equinor ASA
Advancing carbon reduction technologies
Focusing its carbon reduction efforts on installations offshore Norway, the company has implemented a range of strategies that collectively have decreased emissions from Norwegian platforms from 8.8 million metric tons of CO₂ in 2008 to 7.4 million metric tons in 2021, a decline of 1.4 million metric tons/year.
With the Bay du Nord development in the deepwater Flemish Pass Basin offshore Newfoundland, Equinor is looking to employ carbon-reduction technologies to reduce the environmental impact of oil and gas operations in Atlantic Canada.
“Equinor is a global leader in subsea technology and innovation and brings 50 years of harsh-environment operating experience to the challenging environment offshore Newfoundland,” said Torstein Hole, country manager for Equinor Canada.
Bay du Nord, discovered by Equinor in 2013, lies in 1,170 m water depth approximately 500 km offshore Newfoundland. The development comprises discoveries made in 2014 and 2016 as well as the most recent discoveries, Cappahayden and Cambriol, in 975 m and 613 m water depths, in exploration license EL1156. Equinor is considering these as potential tie-ins to Bay du Nord.
“Since the initial discovery in 2013, we have worked to mature the Bay du Nord development project to ensure that it is well-positioned for successful execution,” Hole said.
Applying proven solutions
The expertise the company brings to the region will enable proven carbon management technologies that have delivered results in other regions of the world to be applied in Atlantic Canada.
“On average, Equinor’s fields have a carbon footprint that is less than half of the global average,” Hole says, explaining that this has been achieved by designing fields for minimal energy use, avoiding flaring, “and implementing a raft of energy efficiency measures that in some cases include powering fields with renewable energy.”
Equinor has been active in Atlantic Canada since 1996 and has been integral to advancing offshore field development in Newfoundland and Labrador. (Source: Map courtesy of Equinor)
While Bay du Nord is in the early phase of development, Equinor is focused on exploring potential technology integration and innovation to improve safety and efficiency and is looking into opportunities to reduce emissions.
For example, “Equinor is evaluating a closed loop gas recovery flare system that will ensure no routine flaring—the first use of this technology offshore Canada,” Hole says. “Another advanced technology is the use of combined cycle technology, where we will harvest waste heat created during production and turn it into a source of energy, thereby significantly reducing a facility’s carbon footprint.
“As we continue to mature Bay du Nord, we are committed to the continued exploration of new technologies and opportunities that optimize operations and further reduce carbon emissions,” Hole says, noting that he anticipates Bay du Nord will see the use of technology related to robotics and drones, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
All these efforts are aimed at making this a landmark project, Hole says. “Bay du Nord has the potential to be the lowest carbon intensity project of its scale in Canada.”
Investing in the future
The Bay du Nord development will be carried out in alignment with the company’s Energy Transition Plan, which was launched earlier this year.
Underscoring Equinor’s commitment to long-term value creation in support of the goals of the Paris Agreement, the plan is built on three pillars:
Focused, carbon-efficient oil and gas production;
Accelerated, value-driven expansion in renewables; and
Leadership in building out new low-carbon technologies and value chains.
Equinor is considering developing Bay du Nord using an FPSO with the capacity to host tiebacks from adjacent fields. (Source: Image courtesy of Equinor)
The Energy Transition Plan is foundational in moving the organization toward the ambitious goal of achieving net zero in 2050, which Hole says includes emissions from the use of sold products.
Toward that end, the company is investing in R&D targeting renewables, CCS, hydrogen and other low-carbon technologies.
Locally, within the province, Equinor is an active research partner through Energy Research and Innovation NL, a not-for-profit organization that identifies collaborative research, development and demonstration opportunities and facilitates projects on behalf of Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore oil and gas industry. The company participates in Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, an industry-led group that is driving cross-sector collaboration to accelerate innovation and grow Canada’s ocean economy. Equinor also is a participant in the Digital Offshore Canada project—a platform for developing and commercializing digital twins for a range of applications in Canada’s offshore, as well as other ocean industries.
