Fossil Energy – Huge Engineering Contract
Houston-based KBR has confirmed the surprise award of an engineering contract on Equinor’s $9.4 billion Bay du Nord project offshore eastern Canada.
Last month, it was reported that the US player had secured a front-end engineering and design contract for the topsides of the deep water project’s major floating production, storage and offloading vessel.
This decision shocked the market and particularly Aker Solutions, KBR’s rival for the prestigious job in Newfoundland & Labrador and which had been long-considered the frontrunner for the contract.
The contract also includes an option to carry out detailed design and procurement management services through to final completion of the FPSO.
The topsides FEED scope comes on the back of the pre-FEED studies carried out by KBR and Aker Solutions last year as part of a design competition between the two players.
Some of Equinor’s key requirements for the Bay du Nord FPSO are that it has low emissions, will use an onboard combined cycle power system and the latest technology to minimise the number of crew onboard, and maximise digital solutions.
The FPSO is expected to handle about 200,000 barrels per day of oil from a cluster of fields in the Flemish Pass basin, beyond Canada’s exclusive economic zone.
