Last updated Wednesday, 21 April 2021, 17:22 by Denis Chabrol
The fuel pipe leading from the FPSO, Liza Destiny, to the Cap Philippe for the transfer of Guyana’s first million barrels of raw. (PICTURE)
ExxonMobil Guyana said Wednesday that production is steadily increasing to a maximum of 110,000 barrels per day, though the release silence has not yet been determined, the company said.
The company, whose local partners are Guyana’s Esso Exploration and Production Limited (EEPGL) at Hess Corporation and China National Foreign Oil Company (CNOOC), said productivity is steadily increasing from the 30,000 barrels a day it received reduced to him on April 11.
“We have slowly begun to increase production to between 100,000-110,000 barrels per day at a flare level of no more than 15 million standard cubic feet per day (mscfd) of natural gas. The decision to hike production closer to 120,000 barrels a day capacity also came against the company’s backdrop saying Wednesday that repairs to the release silencer could take several months. “We estimate that repairs or replacement will take about three months,” said the company.
When asked why production was being increased even though the leak silence aboard the Floating Production, Storage and Unloading (FPSO) ship Liza Destiny has not been repaired, an ExxonMobil spokeswoman said Guyana, Janelle Persaud, “is a case of balancing economic and environmental considerations. ”
The company noted that the Guyana government appeared to agree to increase production as assessments, repairs or replacements were made. “These operating parameters have been defined after careful consideration of safety, environmental, technical and economic factors and discussions with relevant government agencies on the best path forward while repairs and upgrades continue,” said ExxonMobil.
ExxonMobil said the release silencer has been removed for further assessment of the damage and to determine the extent of repairs and / modifications.
The American supermajor, the operator of the prolific Stabroek Block, said plans begun in 2020 were underway to install a redesigned third-stage flash gas compression system at the end of this year.
ExxonMobil Guyana reiterated that it was deeply disappointed by these ongoing technical challenges but “we are proud of the offshore team who continue to work safely and efficiently manage operations during the COVID-19 pandemic . ”
He assured the company that “we will continue to work with the relevant parties to put things right as soon as possible.”
The Liza Destiny has been plagued by problems dating back to December 2019 when Guyana first entered commercial oil production history. This is the third time a poorly performing flash gas compressor has affected production and since replaced the silencer.