Barreleye-3 appraisal moves ahead with Noble Don Taylor offshore Guyana

Jan. 30 (oilnow.gy) ExxonMobil Guyana Limited continued exploration drilling at the Barreleye-3 well site on January 27, 2026, as it advances appraisal work in Guyana’s Stabroek Block.

The operation is being carried out by the mobile offshore drilling unit Noble Don Taylor. Drilling is scheduled to conclude on February 8, 2026. The Barreleye-3 site lies about 10.20 nautical miles offshore Guyana and covers roughly 0.29 square nautical miles, or about one square kilometer.

Barreleye was discovered in 2022 and sits around 20 miles southeast of the Liza field, Guyana’s first offshore oil development. ExxonMobil previously reported about 230 feet of hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone at the discovery.

The company has already drilled the Barreleye-2 appraisal well, which included a drill stem test. Barreleye-3 is the next step as ExxonMobil continues to assess the discovery.

In October last year, company president Alistair Routledge said during a press briefing that the area is technically complex and requires further testing to determine the most suitable development approach.

ExxonMobil operates the Stabroek Block with a 45% interest. Co-venturers include Hess with 30% and CNOOC with 25%. Since its first commercial discovery offshore Guyana in 2015, the consortium has made oil and gas finds estimated at about 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent.