From last year December to now, ExxonMobil has flared over nine billion cubic feet of gas. In an effort to reduce the significant amounts of associated gas it was burning, ExxonMobil took a decision a few days ago to cut production levels from 80, 000 barrels of oil per day to 30,000 barrels of oil per day.
It appears however that ExxonMobil has returned to its previous production levels as it was able to address some of the key mechanical issues it faced with the gas compressor system for the Liza Destiny FPSO. Revealing this during his participation in the J.P. Morgan 2020 Energy, Power & Renewables Conference on Tuesday was Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Hess Corporation, John Hess.
The official was keen to note that production figures were only down for a few days while adding that it is now back to 75, 000 barrels of oil per day. “…It has nothing to do with the reservoir. The valve they were experiencing issues with was replaced and it is just to get some maintenance done on the gas compression which should be done between June and July,” the CEO said.
Once that is fully addressed, the official said that ExxonMobil would return to meeting its target of achieving 120, 000 barrels of oil per day.
When contacted for a comment yesterday, ExxonMobil’s Public and Government Affairs Advisor, Janelle Persaud said the company continues to safely complete the final commissioning of the gas handling system. She said that ExxonMobil has two of the three gas handling systems online and is currently injecting or using 85% of the produced gas from the reservoir. With gas reinjection online, she said that the company is able to ramp up production and reduce flaring.
Further to this, Persaud stated that both the safety of the people working on the Liza Destiny and the company’s efforts to minimize flaring are key priorities for ExxonMobil Guyana. The ExxonMobil official was keen to note that the oil giant has every intention of working with the government of Guyana, including the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, to operate safely and in accordance with its environmental impact assessment and permit.
