ExxonMobil commences “busiest year yet”

Mar 19, 2025 News

…as company prepares to startup 3 more oil projects

Kaieteur News- ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), the operator of the oil-rich Stabroek Block, has commenced what the company has described as its “busiest year yet”, with simultaneous developmental drilling operations ongoing at three projects.

The MODU Noble Bob Douglas drillship

According to notices published by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), the oil giant has developmental drilling operations ongoing at the Yellowtail, Uaru, and Whiptail projects- the fourth, fifth, and sixth developments, respectively.

ExxonMobil continued with developmental drilling at the Yellowtail’s YT_3108 Drill Center within the Stabroek Block, in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone, on March 17, 2025, according to MARAD. The MODU Noble Bob Douglas will be engaged in the drilling activities which will conclude on April 30, 2025.

The company also gave notice that it will be continuing its developmental drilling operations at the Uaru Project’s UA_3104 Drill Center. It said the MODU Noble Tom Madden is expected to conclude the activity on April 30, 2025.

Additionally, MARAD indicated that the company, on March 14, 2025, continued developmental drilling operations at the Whiptail Project’s WT 2i04A Drill Center, within the Stabroek Block. The MODU Noble Don Taylor will be used for those operations, scheduled to be concluded on April 30, 2025.

Developmental drilling is an activity conducted following successful exploration drilling. It is conducted to develop a field with proven reserves. At a press conference in January, President of EMGL, Alistair Routledge told reporters, “Here in Guyana, we have started what is going to be our busiest year yet for SURF installation and associated activities- so SURF being the subsea umbilicals, risers (and) flow lines that are necessary to connect the subsea well heads to the FPSOs, to enable us to take production from the production wells, but also to inject water and gas into the reservoirs.”

At that time, he noted that Exxon will be undergoing installation activities for the Uaru and Whiptail projects, and conclude the preparatory work for the Yellowtail project, which is expected to produce first oil in the second half of this year.

So far, Exxon has received approval for six offshore developments. Already, three projects are producing oil in the Stabroek Block, which is estimated to hold more than 11 billion barrels of oil. The Liza One, Liza Two, and Payara projects are producing a daily average of 650,000 barrels per day.

The fourth FPSO, ‘One Guyana’, will be the largest in Guyana, to date. The vessel was designed to produce 250,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd), compared with 220,000 bpd at the Payara project, operated by the Prosperity FPSO. Meanwhile, the two other projects, which have received the blessings of the government of Guyana (GoG), are likely to startup in 2027. Both Uaru and Whiptail were designed to develop 250,000 bpd.

(ExxonMobil commences “busiest year yet”)

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