TotalEnergies gets permit for Macaw-1 well in Suriname

May 06, 2025 News

─ could potentially lead to new oil and gas play for Guyana

Kaieteur News- French multinational integrated energy and petroleum company, TotalEnergies has been granted its permit for the Macaw-1 well in Suriname at the end of April, this year.

According to a statement from Staatsolie on Monday, Macaw-1 is the first of five offshore exploration wells scheduled for drilling this year. If successful, the exploration drilling programme could potentially lead to new oil and gas plays in Suriname-Guyana over the long term.

TotalEnergies gets permit for Macaw-1 well in Suriname

Golden lane: This overview map of the Suriname-Guyana Basin shows the ‘Golden Lane.’ The map also displays the various exploration and production blocks in Suriname’s offshore and onshore areas. (Source Staatsolie)

TotalEnergies plans to begin drilling by mid-May of this year in Block 64.

The company said the Macaw-1 well plays a significant role in the exploration work programme set for 2025 in Block 64. It is also the first of five exploration wells planned to be drilled in different blocks for this year.

This is a representation of an unprecedented number of exploration wells drilled in Suriname’s offshore area by international oil and gas companies within one year, the company noted. Three of the five wells including Macaw-1, are located outside the areas designated as the “golden lane”. The term “golden lane” refers to an area with similar subsurface characteristics, also known as a “play,” which in geology, indicates regions where geological conditions are conducive to the formation, migration, and accumulation of oil and gas.

“The National Environmental Authority granted TotalEnergies a permit to drill the Macaw-1 well at the end of April. TotalEnergies has contracted Stena Drilling to carry out the drilling, using the Stena DrillMAX drill ship. The vessel previously drilled in Guyana for ExxonMobil. Following its work in Guyana, Stena DrillMAX underwent maintenance and safety checks in Curaçao. After passing an acceptance test, the vessel is scheduled to depart for Suriname on May 15, and begin drilling on May, 19” Staatsolie said.

Complete drilling of the Macaw-1 well will take 80 working days and drilling activities will be fully supported from a shore-based facility in Surname. Therefore, the supply of the drilling with food, materials, fuels and drinks, among other things, will be done from a port in Paramaribo.

“Personnel will also be flown to and from the vessel from Paramaribo. This means another step forward in the growth of the Surinamese offshore oil and gas industry, especially for the local suppliers of goods and services (local content). The drilling activities of the four other exploration wells will also be fully supported from a shore base in Suriname,” the company disclosed.

Block 64 is located in the central northern region of Surinamese territorial waters, approximately 280 kilometers from the coast. The water depth here ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 meters. Serving as the operator in this collaboration Total Energies hold a 40 per cent participation interest, with PETRONAS and Qatar Energy holding a 30 per cent stake each.

In the second half of 2025, there will be at least four other exploration wells. Caiman-1 and Kiskadee-1 will be drilled in Block 52, where PETRONAS is the operator, and will test the prospects of the ‘golden lane’.

“In Block 5, with Chevron as the operator, the Korikori-1 will be drilled. This well lies outside the ‘golden lane’, just like the Araku Deep-1 in Block 65. Shell is the operator in Block 65. Success of the exploration drilling programme could potentially lead to new oil and gas plays in the long term. This year could potentially be a very important one for further growth of the offshore oil and gas industry in Suriname,” Staatsolie added.

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Block 64, Guyana, Macaw-1, Suriname, TotalEnergis

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