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Govt. hires three companies to help monitor ExxonM’s offshore operations
Guyana’s first FPSO, the Liza Destiny
– House approved $106.1m to pay inspectors
Kaieteur News – The Committee of Supply on Wednesday afternoon approved the total sum of $106.1 million to fund monitoring efforts of ExxonMobil’s oil and gas operations offshore Guyana.
The allocation aims to cover payments to the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) and three third-party companies enlisted for inspection purposes. During the budget estimates discussion for the Ministry of Natural Resources, Minister Vickram Bharrat disclosed that, in addition to GNBS, third-party inspectors have been engaged to monitor Exxon’s offshore activities.
Addressing an increase in the sums allocated for this year, the minister outlined that the increase caters for Exxon’s third Floating Production, Storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Prosperity coming on stream in November 2023.
Minister Bharrat said while the third FPSO is almost at its full capacity of 220,000 barrel per day (bpd), government will now be paying $6.3 million for the three third party companies doing inspection. “Presently we have three companies that are doing third party inspection for us, and may I add this is all part of us monitoring production and offloading on the FPSOs,” the minister said. He continued, “Because I know they have been a lot of noise in certain sections of the media about us not being capable or don’t have the ability or the equipment possible to monitor production and offloading…”
Minister Bharrat added that there is also full-time presence of GNBS employees on all three FPSOs. He added that at any offloading of crude into a tanker, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) must be present; otherwise, no offloading can be done. “Added to that, on the meter system, it is (seen) by the GNBS, so without them being onboard the FPSOs no offloading can be done into any tanker,” he said
The breakdown of payments to GNBS reveals $38.8 million for monitoring Liza Unity, $22.2 million for Liza Destiny, and $38.8 million for FPSO Prosperity.
This development comes amid calls for independent meters to verify ExxonMobil’s reported production rates. Since Guyana’s inaugural barrel of oil in December 2019, the country has allowed offshore production to proceed without an independent meter, raising concerns about accurately verifying daily oil quantities. Presently, Guyana hosts three active projects in the Stabroek Block, operated by ExxonMobil, with vessels Liza Destiny, Liza Unity, and Prosperity FPSOs contributing to the nation’s oil production.
Vice President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo has since admitted that though the government has persons monitoring oil production aboard Exxon’s FPSOs, government will have to use more technology in the future to track real time progress on production.
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