ExxonMobil to start drilling new exploration well this week

Last Updated on Tuesday, 9 March 2021, 8:52 by Denis Chabrol

U.S. oil major ExxonMobil is set to drill another well in the Canje Block, offshore Guyana, after it was last week announced that the first well drilled -the Bulletwood-1 – failed to strike commercial oil volumes, OE Digital reported on Tuesday.

The publication said ExxonMobil has now moved Stena Drilling’s Stena Carron drillship to the Jabillo-1 well location in the same block and is expected to start drilling on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, Westmount Energy said Tuesday.

The Jabillo-1 is the second of 3 exploration wells scheduled for drilling the Canje block in 2021.

According to Westmount Energy, an indirect partner in the block, previously published information indicates that Jabillo-1 is a circa 1,000 MMbbl oil prospect targeting a Late Cretaceous, Liza-age equivalent, basin floor fan.

The Canje Block is operated by ExxonMobil  (35%), with Total (35%), JHI (17.5%), and Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas Inc. (12.5%) as partners.  Westmount holds a 7.7% interest in the issued share capital of JHI Associates Inc.

It is located next to the Stabroek block, where ExxonMobil has in the past few years made 18 oil discoveries with more than 8 billion barrels of oil equivalent in total.

ExxonMobil currently produces oil from the Liza field in the Stabroek block, via the Liza Destiny FPSO. The U.S. oil major plans to have six FPSOs producing in the block by 2027.

ExxonMobil expects to drill 10 exploration and appraisal wells in 2021 in the Stabroek block.