Exxon plans to increase Guyana offshore output by 18,000 bpd

(WO) – ExxonMobil Guyana plans to increase output from its Stabroek block offshore Guyana by 18,000 barrels per day (bpd) once it has completed risk assessments and received approval from local authorities, country manager Alistair Routledge said on Wednesday.

The company has already carried out preparatory work, such as increasing heat exchanges and trimming some valves, to raise the capacity for the Unity floating, production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) from 252,000 bpd to 270,000 bpd, Routledge told a news conference.

The actual output cannot be increased, however, until the company, environmental authorities and Guyana’s Ministry of Natural Resources agree on the modeling, analysis and risk assessment. “We won’t increase any production until everybody is satisfied that we’ve done the right work,” he said.

ExxonMobil Guyana’s output is currently 665,000 bpd. Liza Phase 1’s authorized capacity is 160,000, but its actual output is 157,000 bpd, while Liza Phase 2 and Payara are each at 252,000 bpd. 

Routledge said a hulled ship would be converted into an FPSO for the Hammerhead project, instead of using a purpose-built vessel, catering for production output ranging from 120,000 to 180,000 bpd.

The company is also pushing ahead with plans for the start-up of Uaru and Whiptail in 2027.

On plans for gas production, especially from the southeast part of the Stabroek Block, the company said that would depend on analysis and modeling of the resource when production begins. “Once we start producing as we have done on Liza and Payara, we can then tune those models and see how the reservoirs adapt both from a production and an injection point of view,” Routledge added.