Repairs start on Exxon’s faulty gas compressor
By Kemol King
Kaieteur News – ExxonMobil reported that repairs and upgrades have begun on its faulty gas compressor currently with its manufacturer, MAN Turbo, in Germany. This followed a detailed examination by the technical experts at the MAN Energy Solutions workshop, ExxonMobil said in an operational update. “We keep spare equipment in Guyana to support maintenance activities, including the seals for the failed flash gas compressor at the end. last month and spare rotors, ”said ExxonMobil. “However, our initial investigation determined that equipment and expertise was needed at the German manufacturer’s workshop to repair the need. Last year, we ordered a new spare flash gas compressor, but it won’t be available until later this year due to the complex nature of the equipment. ”
The company has issued active press updates over the past week. The compressor was cleared with custom in Germany, according to an update on February 12, and was unpacked and uninstalled for inspection and assessment. ExxonMobil said it met with stakeholders on Feb. 12 to provide an operational update, and spoke to more than 120 participants from business associations and other civil society groups.
The equipment after customs clearance in Germany.
The compression casing.
According to another operational update, by Tuesday the team on Liza Destiny Float Production, Storage and Unloading (FPSO) had already completed a visual inspection of pipe and pipe maintenance, and mechanical rework of the defective compressor casing had been carried out in Germany .
ExxonMobil has been blazing above safe pilot levels – the minimum torch required to maintain safe operation – since Jan. 30 after it encountered problems with the compressor. It has been flailing about 16-18 million cubic feet of natural gas every day.
The company’s position is that it has not breached any of its licenses or the law: “We operate under a robust regulatory system and comply with all laws, regulations and licenses; dedicate thousands of hours monitoring, validating and documenting our compliance with these regulations and our licenses. “
ExxonMobil clearly stated in its update “MAN Energy has confirmed that production optimization activities and technical issues are not linked to the flash gas compressor. At the time of the incident with the compressor, it was operating at only 70 percent of its design capacity. Production optimization is a routine process for operations worldwide. A comprehensive security evaluation was conducted prior to the optimization process. “
Government and Public Affairs Adviser Janelle Persaud did not immediately respond to a question from Kaieteur News last night about the true cause of the technical issues.
Guyana’s Esso Exploration and Production Limited (EEPGL), had decided to begin advanced production capacity tests on the Liza Destiny to raise its name plate capacity above 120,000 barrels per day, and start doing so as early as January.
The Chief Operations Officer at Hess Corporation, Gregory Hill during the January 27 earnings call for the fourth quarter of 2020, had said ExxonMobil would evaluate options to increase Liza Destiny’s operating name plate capacity, but had said those options are being followed. in the third quarter of 2021, not the first.
It was only during a press conference on February 8 that the ExxonMobil had already been doing advanced production capacity tests and had been producing as high as 130,000 barrels a day in January. ExxonMobil officials said the Liza Destiny is capable of producing as much as 158,000 barrels of oil a day.
On the fringes of a press conference hosted by the Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, on Tuesday 9, Kaieteur News had asked if the company had notified the government of its advanced production plans. Dr. Jagdeo it wasn’t, but it didn’t matter the advanced production capacity tests either way. Its policy for depleting Guyana’s reserves is that production should be done as soon as possible, in order to beat the conversion of energy to renewable sources.
This is why the Government has not imposed a reduction in ExxonMobil production, as did the former Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams, when it was discovered last year that ExxonMobil was flailing longer than it should. has, following the start of oil production in December 2019.
ExxonMobil had a full year of flame gas, also due to a problem with its equipment, and took a whole year to resolve the issue. By then, it had already flamed more than 12 billion cubic feet of gas.
This year, it has already flamed upwards of 300 million cubic feet of gas, according to this newspaper’s calculations.
“ExxonMobil Guyana maintains a high level of security, which is a core value in all our operations and facilities,” he said.
“As the teams work to complete repairs as quickly as possible, we continue to safely manage production and flare levels on Liza Destiny’s FPSO.”