March 30 (oilnow.gy) ExxonMobil Guyana is advancing plans for its next development offshore Guyana, with the Haimara discovery expected to serve as the anchor for the project in the southeast section of the Stabroek Block.
Company President Alistair Routledge said at a recent press briefing that the development concept for that area groups discoveries from Longtail through Haimara into a single gas-focused area.
“Well, for those of you who were at the energy conference back in February, we began to talk about project number nine or what could potentially be project number nine – which will be anchored on the Haimara discovery – in the very southeast most part of the Stabroek Block,” Routledge said.
“So, collectively from Longtail through Haimara is what we would call the southeast gas area and Haimara would be the anchor for the next project, just as Longtail is the anchor for a number of discoveries that were made in that area,” he added.
Routledge said technical work is progressing as the company assesses whether the project meets required investment thresholds.
“So, Haimara, we’re gaining in confidence. A lot of excellent technical work has been going on. We’re gaining confidence that that project can meet the sort of investment hurdles that we would expect, that the government would expect us to achieve… and so we’re maturing there,” he said.
He said ExxonMobil is preparing to move into the regulatory phase.
“As we do so… we will likely, in the coming weeks submit an application for environmental authorization to the EPA for a Haimara area project,” Routledge said.
He said the company is targeting submission of a field development plan around this time next year, maintaining a timeline about one year behind the Longtail project.
Routledge said nearby discoveries, including Pluma, are expected to be developed as part of the Haimara project.
“So although I talked about Haimara as the anchor, we do foresee Pluma being part of that development,” he said.
He explained that discoveries outside the Longtail scope would be tied back to a Haimara-based facility to improve recovery.
“So the remaining gas discoveries that are not swept up in the long tail development that we’ve submitted would then be associated with a Haimara anchor development,” Routledge said.
He said the concept includes a floating production facility near Haimara with subsea tiebacks to surrounding resources.
“So having a floating production facility in the vicinity of Haimara, but tying back these other resources in order to maximize recovery,” he said.
On reservoir quality, Routledge said Pluma appears to contain less liquids than other discoveries.
“Pluma is more towards what we would call drier end of that spectrum, so less liquids than, say, a long tail,” he said.
He said the company has not yet completed significant testing on the reservoir.
“Now, we haven’t done a significant testing of that reservoir as we have with some of the others, so I don’t have dynamic data, can’t give you firm numbers,” Routledge said.
He said available data suggests Pluma has lower condensate volumes, which affects development sequencing.
“But in a relative basis based on the static data we’ve collected from the reservoir… that’s why we would favor developing other reservoirs before we would then tie back, Pluma in order to maximize recovery of the condensate,” he said.
Haimara was ExxonMobil’s 12th discovery offshore Guyana. The Haimara-1 well encountered approximately 207 feet of gas condensate-bearing sandstone after being drilled to 18,289 feet in 4,590 feet of water.
The Government of Guyana has been urging the development of gas resources near the Suriname border, including Haimara and Pluma, as it looks to expand domestic gas use.
ExxonMobil is assessing piping the gas to Berbice, which President Irfaan Ali has said must become a new industrial growth pole.
Guyana is also progressing with the Gas-to-Energy project at Wales using gas from the ExxonMobil-operated Liza field. A second phase is expected to utilize gas from the Hammerhead development.
Brazil Energy Insight 
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