Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo recently addressed the pending approval of ExxonMobil’s sixth development, the Whiptail Project, emphasizing the Guyana Government’s commitment to thorough assessments. The Field Development Plan (FDP) for the project, submitted by ExxonMobil in early October, awaits approval so that the Exxon-led consortium can made a final investment decision for the US$13B project in the Stabroek Block.
Despite the government’s eagerness for a swift approval, Jagdeo made it clear that there would be no compromise on the quality of assessments. Responding to questions about the timeline for approval, he stated, “We want the approval to be issued as soon as possible without compromising our technical assessment and the environmental assessment.”
During a press conference on Thursday, Jagdeo underscored the government’s stance against imposing artificial deadlines, expressing a dedication to allowing experts the necessary time for a thorough evaluation of the applications. This commitment he said aligns with the government’s approach to prioritize the integrity of technical and environmental assessments over expediency.
British consultant firm Bayphase, which was responsible for crafting production licences for previous projects, was retained to review the Whiptail Field Development Plan.
The Whiptail development will consist of drilling approximately 33 to 72 development wells (including production and water/gas injection wells).
The floating, production and offloading (FPSO) vessel called “Jaguar”, 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.
