(1) Liza Destiny produces 120,000 bpd
Esso commissions gas injection system
December 20, 2020
US oil and gas super major ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge announced the Liza Destiny floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel reached full capacity of 120,000 bpd and successfully commissioned the gas injection system.
“We are incredibly proud of the tremendous work of our team in overcoming the challenges of the past year and safely bringing us to where we are today. This resilient group, which includes a growing number of Guyanese professionals, continues to persevere through the COVID-19 pandemic and initial startup challenges to deliver a world-class project. “ExxonMobil Guyana is committed to the responsible development of the country’s natural resources and will not utilize routine flaring during our operations, We are disappointed by the number of equipment issues experienced and that, because of these issues and COVID-19, commissioning of the gas injection system took longer than originally projected. We took significant steps to limit flaring and are incorporating lessons learned for future projects.”
Over 6,000 personnel were transferred offshore without a safety incident or case of COVID-19 on the offshore facilities. Overall, the Liza Destiny FPSO team has achieved one year and over one million hours of work without a recordable safety incident.
Investment in the local economy continues to increase as the Liza Phase Two and Payara projects advance. Over 2,100 locals now support activities on and offshore. ExxonMobil and its key contractors spent over GY $69 billion with over700 local companies since 2015.
The Government of Guyana welcomes the announcement by ExxonMobil that it reached maximum production of 120,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) – a success to which it has contributed. Minister of Natural Resources Hon. Vickram Bharrat said
“We have been working with Exxon over the last couple of months to ensure we reached maximum production. It is something we have worked with Exxon for and we expect the rate to improve to maximum production.”
Production was below 100 bpd because of the issue with the gas compressor, which resulted in increased flaring. With that being fixed, it has minimised flaring and maximised production.
Low production had also resulted in only four crude lifts, instead of five.
(2) Petronas cheers first discovery
https://www.offshore-energy.biz/petronas-cheers-first-discovery-off-suriname/
December 11, 2020, by Nermina Kulovic
Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas made its first discovery of hydrocarbons in Suriname with the successful drilling of the Sloanea-1 exploration well in offshore Block 52.
Location of Block 52 – JHI Associates
Petronas subsidiary, Petronas Suriname E&P B.V. (PSEPBV), operator of Block 52 holds 50 per cent participating interest. ExxonMobil holds the remaining 50 per cent.
ExxonMobil farmed into Petronas’ Block 52 in May 2020.
Block 52, covers an area of 4,749 square km, 1.2 million acres, located 75 miles north of the coast of the capital Paramaribo, within the prospective Suriname-Guyana basin, where several major hydrocarbon discoveries have been made. Water depths range from 160 to 3,600 feet, 50 to 1,100 meters.
Sloanea-1 exploration well was successfully drilled to a total depth of 4,780 metres, 15,682 feet, using the Maersk Developer semi-submersible rig, adding to ExxonMobil’s extensive finds in the petroliferous Guyana-Suriname basin.
The well encountered several hydrocarbon-bearing sandstones with good reservoir qualities in the Campanian section. The well data proves excellent calibration of the hydrocarbon potential of the block. Further evaluation is being undertaken to determine the full extent of the discovery.
Petronas Vice President of Exploration, Upstream, Emeliana Rice-Oxley said: “We are pleased with the positive results of the well. It will provide the drive for Petronas to continue exploring in Suriname, which is one of our focus basins in the Americas.
“We look forward to a further successful collaboration with our partner ExxonMobil and further strengthen our relationship with the government of the Republic of Suriname, as a solutions partner, progressing towards delivering clean and reliable energy to the market”.
The Suriname discovery further strengthens ExxonMobil’s industry-leading portfolio along with its other recent exploration success in the same basin in Guyana.
Mike Cousins, senior vice president of exploration and new ventures at ExxonMobil said, “Our first discovery in Suriname extends ExxonMobil’s leading position in South America, building on our successful investments in Guyana,” “We will continue to leverage our deepwater expertise and advanced technology to explore frontier environments with the highest value resource potential.”
PSEPBV also holds a 100 per cent participating interest and operatorship in Block 48, and a 30 per cent non-operated participating interest in Block 53.