ExxonMobil Guyana has revealed that it is proceeding with its sixth development, the Whiptail project and it will be hosting a series of public meetings dedicated to discussing the project scheduled for the Stabroek block.
The primary objective of these gatherings is to acquaint the public with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), both of which the company has submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for evaluation.
In a bid to ensure that local communities are well-informed and have a platform to voice their concerns, a total of eight meetings have been strategically scheduled in various coastal locations across Guyana throughout the month of September. These meetings will be held during a period of consultation, during which the public is strongly encouraged to provide their comments and recommendations on the EIA, which ExxonMobil has put forth to the EPA.
The company recently submitted the EIA which noted that the estimated cost is US$12.9 billion. It will consist of drilling approximately 33 to 72 development wells (including production and water/gas injection wells), installation and operation of Subsea, Umbilicals, Risers, and Flowlines (SURF) equipment; installation and operation of a Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel; and ultimately, project decommissioning.
The FPSO will be designed to accommodate an annual average capacity of 300,000 barrels of oil per day (BPD). It will also be capable of storing approximately 2 million bbl (320,000 m3) of stabilized crude oil. It is noteworthy that while the project anticipates generating between 400 million and 640 million standard cubic feet of gas daily, a significant portion of this will be reinjected back into the wells, with only a fraction utilized as fuel.
With a target of full operational readiness by 2027, production activities are slated to commence in late 2027 or 2028, spanning a minimum duration of two years.
In addition, in collaboration with its coventurers partners, Hess and CNOOC, will be submitting a comprehensive field development plan (FDP) by next month, that will undergo a thorough review in conjunction with the EIA.
