ExxonMobil to bring in another drill ship
… As an operator ramps up exploring Guyana’s offshore oil
Noble Sam Croft’s latest addition – ExxonMobil to its fleet of drilling vessels for exploration in Guyana.
Kaieteur News – Chief executive of Kaieteur, Canje and Stabroek Blocks oilfields in Guyana – ExxonMobil – through its Guyana subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Petroleum Guyana Limited (EEPGL), is preparing to bring its sixth drilling ship to its fleet current audit.
This, according to a recent Rystad Energy Offshore Rig Tracker report, which currently documents that three of the drilling vessels employing the oil company’s fleet are located in Liza’s largest area performing development drilling activity .
The recently arrived Stena DrillMAX has already started drilling activities on the Longtail-2 appraisal well, while the Stena Carron, which recently completed Bulletwood-1 drilling, has already rubbed the Jabillo-1 exploration well in Block Canje.
According to the report, ExxonMobil’s fleet of contracted drilling vessels in Guyana is now set to increase to six, with the arrival of the Noble Sam Croft in April, with the operator looking to plunder 16 more offshore wells in Guyana in 2021.
The year began with a dry run of exploration as a partner in the Canje Block operated by ExxonMobil last week revealed that the first well in the block had failed to deliver.
Subsequently, the Bulletwood-1 encountered quality reservoirs but in non-commercial quantities, according to a public report published by Westmount Energy, which holds a stake in Canje’s partner, JHI Associates.
Guyana’s exploration activity is led by ExxonMobil as Kaieteur, Stabroek and Canje Blocks operator.
The company’s drilling activity for 2021, according to reports, will focus on consolidating resources in the southeastern part of the Stabroek Block, where the operator identified deeper plays under current discoveries and is now eyeing the northwestern parts of the block which are unexplored.
This is in addition to lined work on the Canje Block.
Santosh Kumar, an analyst with Rystad Energy’s upstream team, has since highlighted that “Rystad Energy’s data suggests that on average nearly 300 million barrels of oil equivalents have been found for every audit that has been carried out.” to drill well in the country over the last six years ”and with about 16 planned exploration wells, including some in more dangerous border regions, 2021 is very promising. “
ExxonMobil said last year that it had identified significant untapped potential of more than 50 leaders in the blocks it operates in Guyana’s offshore Economic Outstanding Economic Zone (EEZ) and announced plans to do more drilling in targeted prospects in Kaieteur, Canje and Stabroek Blocks.
The company in its exploratory campaign in Guyana recently made a discovery in Kaieteur Block, while drilling its first well there and deepest offshore Guyana.
In 2019, ExxonMobil surrendered a portion of the Canje Block under the terms of the exploration license, reducing the size of the contract area from 6,100 square kilometers (sq km) to 4,800 sq km.
It is anticipated that, with just over a dozen initial forecasts identified for exploration in the Canje Block, it will produce approximately 10 billion barrels of oil.
It was also noted that ExxonMobil together with its partners were looking to use four float, production, storage and offloading (F PSOs) to develop the existing resources in the block.
The energy company also noted that success at this year’s Mako-2 and Uaru-2 wells on the Stabroek Block could solidify the areas as a candidate for the next FPSO location.
On the Canje Block, plans are underway to drill two wells in 2021 in addition to the non-commercial discovery Bulletwood-1, with the Jabillo already underway.
No further exploration plans are expected for Kaieteur Block.
The Canadian auditor, CGX Energy, operates the Demerara and Corentyne Blocks with 66.67% interests, with Frontera Energy a partner of the consortium.
The plan for 2021 includes up to two exploration wells, at a combined estimated cost of about $ 90 million.
According to Rystad, no drilling plans have been identified for this year so far on the Kanuku Block operated by Repsol and the Orinduik Tullow Oil Block.
The report noted in the meantime, that there are only two unallocated blocks in eastern Guyanese waters: block C, east of the Kaieteur Block and north of Stabroek, and a 1,325-square-foot (512-square-foot block) mi) less, surrendered. by the Canje consortium.