…to complete Payara field developmental works by yearend
Oil giant ExxonMobil will conclude developmental operations in the Payara field, its third oilfield offshore Guyana, by this year end, even as it ramps up its development activities and brings in an additional drill ship in the Stabroek Block.
According to a notice, Exxon’s developmental works in the Payara field will conclude on December 31, 2021. These works, which are likely to include the installation of subsea systems, will see vessel PSV Skandi Foula being used.
“The area is situated approximately 112 nautical miles from the coast of Guyana and covers an area of 137.89 square nautical miles… all mariners are required to maintain a wide berth of this vessel and navigate with caution when in the vicinity,” the notice said.
The PSV Skandi Foula
Meanwhile, Exxon is ramping up its development activities in the Stabroek Block. It was announced that Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) will be bringing in its MODU Noble Bob Douglas.
The ship will be conducting development drilling activities that will conclude on August 15, 2021. It was further announced that EEPGL will be continuing deep sea developmental activities in the Liza Phase 1 field – activities that will use the DSCV SBM Installer vessel and will conclude on July 23.
The drilling of two new exploration wells in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) was recently announced. The two wells are the Pinktail-1 and the Cataback-1 wells, which are being drilled by EEPGL 104 nautical miles off the coast of Guyana.
According to notices from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), the Pinktail-1 well will be drilled by the MODU Noble Sam Croft from June 18 to June 22, 2021. The area being drilled is approximately 0.29 nautical square miles.
Meanwhile, the Noble Sam Croft will be drilling the Cataback-1 well from June 22 to July 3, 2021. In both notices, MARAD warned mariners to stay clear of these vessels as they worked and to “navigate with extreme caution when in the vicinity.”
Earlier this year, ExxonMobil had deployed the Stena DrillMAX and the Noble Sam Croft to enable further exploration and evaluation, while continuing development drilling activities offshore Guyana.
It was only recently that ExxonMobil made its 20th discovery of oil offshore Guyana, finding 230 feet or 70 metres of high-quality oil reservoirs while conducting drilling at its Longtail-3 well in the Stabroek Block.
According to a statement from ExxonMobil’s headquarters, the find was made at the Longtail-3 well by drill ship Stena DrillMAX. The well, which was drilled in over 6000 feet of water, had 70 metres of high-quality oil reservoirs. Longtail-3 follows on the success of Longtail-1, where oil was found by Exxon in 2018.
Prior to Longtail, Exxon last found oil in the Uaru-2 well in April of this year. At the time, that was Exxon’s 19th find. The company had said at the time that it deployed the two additional drill ships in the first quarter of 2021.
The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). EEPGL is the operator and holds 45 per cent interest in the Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.
ExxonMobil has said it anticipates at least six projects offshore Guyana will be online by 2027. A fourth project, Yellowtail, has been identified within the block with anticipated start-up in late 2025 pending Government approvals and project sanctioning. This project will develop the Yellowtail and Redtail fields, which are located about 19 miles (30 kilometres) southeast of the Liza developments. (G3)
