Exxon conducting developmental drilling at Whiptail development

…Noble Don Taylor to finish drilling by month-end

Oil giant ExxonMobil is currently conducting development drilling at its Whiptail development, a project that is expected to come on stream three years from now and, when it does, will increase Guyana’s oil production by approximately 250,000 barrels of oil.
According to the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), developmental drilling has started at the WT_2i04 well, using the MODU Noble Don Taylor, which will be supported by a number of other vessels including the Gary Rook and Guyana Hero.
It was also explained that these drilling activities, which are being done approximately 110 nautical miles (203.9 kilometres) off the coast of Guyana over 0.29 square nautical miles, will conclude by the end of November.
“All mariners are required to stay clear of these vessels and navigate with extreme caution when in the vicinity. This notice supersedes information provided in Notice to Mariners 128 of 2024. Communication can be made to these vessels or the Georgetown Lighthouse on VHF Ch. 16,” the notice also stated.
In April, it was announced that the Guyana Government had approved the US$12.7 billion Whiptail Project – the sixth development being undertaken by United States (US) oil giant ExxonMobil in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana.

Guyana had retained British consulting firm Bayphase to review the Whiptail Field Development Plan (FDP) which was submitted to the Government by Exxon last October. A few months prior, in August 2023, the US oil major had approached the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to greenlight the project.
Whiptail is expected to add approximately 250,000 barrels of daily capacity by the end of 2027, when it is slated to come on stream, thus bringing the country’s production capacity up to approximately 1.3 million barrels per day.
Currently, ExxonMobil has three Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSOs) – the Liza Destiny from the Liza Phase One Project, Liza Unity from the Liza Phase Two Project, and Prosperity from the Payara Project – which are currently operating offshore Guyana and are safely producing more than 600,000 barrels of oil per day.

Additionally, construction is underway on FPSOs for the Yellowtail Project – the One Guyana FPSO, which is set to commence production in 2025; and for the Uaru Project – the Errea Wittu FPSO, which is anticipated to start in 2026. In addition to these six projects offshore Guyana, Exxon is eyeing the possibility of having 10 FPSOs operational by 2030.
Nevertheless, with these six developments to come on stream by 2027, production from the Stabroek block will generate tens of billions of dollars of revenue and significant economic development for Guyana.
Moreover, there are currently 6,200 Guyanese working in support of Stabroek block operations – which is 70 per cent of the workforce. The cumulative spend of ExxonMobil Guyana and its contractors with Guyanese suppliers since 2015 surpassed US$1.5 billion at the end of 2023.
ExxonMobil, through its local subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), has a majority 45 per cent interest in the oil-rich Stabroek Block, and is the operator; while Hess Corporation holds a 30 per cent interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.
However, Hess Corporation has agreed to merge with Chevron, and this deal is expected to be closed in the first half of this year – a transaction that could be delayed after Exxon filed arbitration proceedings to claim pre-emptive rights in the offshore Guyana operations. (G3)