The Hibernia oil field is in Canada, offshore Newfoundland and Labrador on the Grand Banks.
Hibernia was discovered in 1979 by the Hibernia P-15 exploration well, drilled in the Jeanne d’Arc Basin. The field lies roughly 315 kilometres east-southeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, in about 80 metres of water. Its reservoirs are primarily Cretaceous sandstones formed in ancient river-delta environments.
Developing Hibernia required a massive gravity-base production structure designed for the North Atlantic’s severe conditions, including icebergs, sea ice, storms, and large waves. The concrete structure was built in Newfoundland, towed into position, and secured on the seabed. Production began on November 17, 1997.
A frequent mistake is to identify the field with the United States because it is in the Atlantic region, or with Norway or the United Kingdom because those countries also operate major offshore fields. Hibernia is within Canada’s offshore petroleum area and became a foundational project for Newfoundland and Labrador’s modern oil industry.