ExxonMobil
is evaluating offshore discoveries in waters approaching 3,000
metres deep off Guyana as the company's development programme moves
beyond the large standalone black oil projects that drove the first
phase of Stabroek Block production, development manager Kyle
Countryman said at the Offshore Technology Conference in
Houston, OilNOW reported.
The shift
marks a significant technical step up for a basin that has until
now benefited from relatively benign shallow-water drilling
conditions. 'If you look, we always do the easy stuff first,'
Countryman said, while noting that none of the earlier deepwater
developments had been straightforward.
The next
phase centres on smaller accumulations that cannot support
standalone floating production vessels and will instead need to be
tied back to existing infrastructure. 'It's tied back opportunities
that are smaller, that aren't standalone opportunities,' Countryman
said, adding that ExxonMobil and co-venturers Hess and CNOOC are
studying multiple development pathways. 'We have a lot of
discovered, undeveloped resources that we're looking at ways to
unlock.'
Discussions
with the Guyana government on future development plans are ongoing.
Guyana currently produces more than 900,000 bpd from four FPSOs in
the Stabroek Block, with output targeted at 1.7mn bpd by the end of
the decade.
© 2026 bne IntelliNews, source Magazine
