ExxonMobil has announced that oil production, which had fallen to around 30,000 barrels of oil a day (bpd) following the restart of compressor problems aboard the Liza Destiny, increased to between 100,000 and 110,000 barrels a day.
According to a statement from the company’s Public Affairs and Governance Adviser, Janelle Persaud, teams on Liza Destiny’s Float Production Storage and Unloader (FPSO) have removed the discharge silencer from the compressor for further assessment of the damage.
“We estimate that repairs or replacements will take about three months. In addition, plans initiated in 2020 are progressing to install a redesigned third-stage flash gas compression system at the end of this year, ”said Persaud.
With regard to torch, which had been emitted to 4 to 5 million cubic feet of gas a day after recent problems with the compressor, Persaud explained that the current production flare will have a flare level of no more than 15 Million. cubic square feet of gas per day.
“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 way forward while repairs and upgrades continue,” he said in the statement.
“ExxonMobil Guyana is extremely 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. We will continue to work with the relevant parties to put things right as soon as possible. ”
Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon, who had expressed concerns about the troubled gas compressor on FPSO’s Liza Destiny ship, had previously requested a meeting with local US oil giant ExxonMobil executives to be briefed on the matter.
According to Persaud, a meeting is being arranged and could even happen as early as today.
Last week, Exxon revealed that as it was conducting the final testing phase of the replacement flash gas compressor and other system components on the Liza Destiny FPSO, they had encountered an additional problem with the release silencer.
The US oil giant reported that a team of SBM Offshore, the German manufacturer of MAN Energy Solutions and ExxonMobil was on site to assess repairs, with support from engineering experts in Europe and the USA.
“We have reduced production to a minimum level that mitigates hydrate formation in subsea systems, maintains gas and fuel gas injection into the power generators, and reduces flare,” said the company.
When asked, Persaud had revealed that this meant the company was producing some 30,000 bpd – a reduction of an initial 120,000 bpd. This fall, he noted the potential to throw Exxon’s next lift, which was scheduled for the next few days.
When asked about the amount of torching in light of production cuts, Persaud had revealed that torching is now at 4 to 5 million cubic feet of gas per day, just above pilot levels.
Excessive torching had averaged 16 million cubic feet of gas per day, following the compressor malfunction in February.