Oil production begins at Payara; daily output set to peak at 620,000 barrels per day

Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 November 2023, 9:14 by Denis Chabrol

ExxonMobil started production on Tuesday at Payara, Guyana’s third offshore oil development on the Stabroek Block, bringing total production capacity in Guyana to approximately 620,000 barrels per day.

The Prosperity floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel is expected to reach initial production of approximately 220,000 barrels per day over the first half of next year as new wells come online, the company added. ExxonMobil Guyana says this additional capacity will be the third major milestone towards reaching a combined production capacity of more than 1.2 million barrels per day on the Stabroek Block by year-end 2027.

“Each new project supports economic development and access to resources that will benefit Guyanese communities while also helping to meet the world’s energy demand,” said Liam Mallon, president of ExxonMobil Upstream Company. “We’re pleased to work in partnership with the Guyanese government to make reliable energy accessible and sustainable.”

ExxonMobil Guyana says it anticipates six FPSOs will be in operation on the Stabroek Block by year-end 2027. Yellowtail and Uaru, the fourth and fifth projects, are in progress and will each produce approximately 250,000 barrels of oil per day. The company is working with the government of Guyana to secure regulatory approvals for a sixth project at Whiptail.

Prosperity joins the Liza Unity as two of the world’s first FPSOs to be awarded the SUSTAIN-1 notation by the American Bureau of Shipping in recognition of the sustainability of its design, documentation and operational procedures. ExxonMobil’s Guyana developments are generating around 30% lower greenhouse gas intensity than the average of ExxonMobil’s upstream portfolio. According to the independent research firm Rystad Energy, they are also among the best performing in the world with respect to emissions intensity, outpacing 75% of global oil and gas producing assets.

The company says at least 6,000 Guyanese are now supporting ExxonMobil Guyana’s activities in the country, representing more than two-thirds of the local oil and gas workforce. The company and its direct contractors have spent more than $1.2 billion with more than 1,500 Guyanese suppliers since operations began in 2015. Production started in December 2019, ExxonMobil said.