ExxonMobil reports oil discovery offshore Guyana at Tripletail

Sept. 16, 2019
ExxonMobil Corp. reported making an oil discovery offshore Guyana with the Tripletail-1 well in the Turbot area on the Stabroek block, adding to an estimated recoverable resource of 6 billion boe.

ExxonMobil Corp. reported making an oil discovery offshore Guyana with the Tripletail-1 well in the Turbot area on the Stabroek block, adding to an estimated recoverable resource of 6 billion boe.

Tripletail-1, drilled in 6,572 ft of water 3 miles northeast of the Longtail discovery, encountered 108 ft of a high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. After completion of operations at Tripletail, the Noble Tom Madden drillship will drill the Uaru-1 well 6 miles east of Liza field.

“This discovery helps to further inform the development of the Turbot area,” said Mike Cousins, senior vice-president of exploration and new ventures at ExxonMobil.

Exploration and development are moving forward elsewhere on the Stabroek block. The Stena Carron drillship is currently drilling the Ranger-2 well and upon completion will conduct a well test at Yellowtail-1. The Noble Bob Douglas drillship is currently completing development drilling for the Liza Phase 1 project. ExxonMobil will add a fourth drillship, the Noble Don Taylor, in October.

The Liza Phase 1 development is on schedule to start up by early 2020. It will produce as much as 120,000 b/d of oil utilizing the Liza Destiny floating production, storage, and offloading vessel, which arrived in Guyana on Aug. 29 (OGJ Online, Aug. 29, 2019).

ExxonMobil approved funding for the Liza Phase 2 development after it received government and regulatory approvals in May (OGJ Online, May 3, 2019). Expected to startup by mid-2022, the project plans to use the Liza Unity FPSO to produce as much as 220,000 b/d of oil. A third development, Payara, could see startup as early as 2023 with production up to an estimated 220,000 b/d of oil pending government approvals.

Stabroek block is 6.6 million acres. Esso Exploration & Production Guyana Ltd. is operator with 45% interest. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30% interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of CNOOC Ltd., holds 25% interest.