Exxon Mobil has started pumping oil from its largest project to date offshore Guyana, with an initial annual average production of 250,000 bbl/d.
Yellowtail, the operator’s fourth oil development in Guyana’s bountiful Stabroek Block, is producing oil from the One Guyana FPSO, Exxon Mobil said Aug. 8. The milestone lifts the Exxon-led joint venture’s total installed capacity off the South American country to more than 900,000 bbl/d.
“Yellowtail’s ahead-of-schedule startup is a significant milestone for ExxonMobil and the people of Guyana,” said Dan Ammann, president of ExxonMobil Upstream Company. “With Guyanese making up more than 67% of the country’s oil-and-gas workforce and over 2,000 local businesses engaged, this project reflects our deepening roots in the country and our shared commitment to long-term, inclusive growth.”
Production comes about six years after the Yellowtail-1 discovery was announced in April 2019. It became Exxon’s 13th oil discovery in the block, when the well encountered high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoir at a drilling depth of 18,445 ft (5,622 m) in 6,046 ft (1,843 m) of water. Yellowtail-2 later hit net pay in a new oil-bearing zone to become Exxon’s 17th oil discovery in the block.
The One Guyana FPSO, built by SBM Offshore, is the largest operating offshore Guyana. Moored in a water depth of about 1,800 m, SBM said the vessel can store 2 MMbbl of crude oil and has an associated gas treatment capacity of 450 MMcf/d with an injection capacity of 300,000 bbl/d.
The startup follows Liza Phase 1, Liza Phase 2 and Payara—all of which are in the Stabroek Block and developed by Exxon in partnership with Hess, which was acquired by Chevron, and CNOOC. The production start moves the JV closer to its ambitions of 1.7 MMbbl/d from the block.
With four FPSO having passed the first oil milestone, the companies have four more developments underway. They are Uaru, Whiptail, Longtail and Haimara.