Guyana’s Yellowtail production ramp-up expected before year-end

Sept. 22 (oilnow.gy) Production from Guyana’s Yellowtail development in the Stabroek Block is expected to ramp up further before year-end, with ExxonMobil studying an optimization that could lift output from the ONE GUYANA floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel to around 290,000 barrels per day (b/d).

The move to increase Yellowtail’s production by about 10% was announced in March by the company’s Guyana President, Alistair Routledge.

The FPSO is already producing above its original design capacity of 250,000 b/d, with government data reviewed by OilNOW showing Yellowtail output reached about 270,000 b/d in July. Production ranged between 257,000 b/d and 264,000 b/d during April, May and June.

According to the Guyana government’s mid-year report for 2026, published September 14, further ramp-up of ONE GUYANA production is projected, adding to overall Stabroek Block output.

“The Stabroek Block saw increased activity in the first half of this year, primarily supported by the One Guyana FPSO joining the fleet last year… Production reached 163.3 million barrels at the end of June 2026, exceeding the 115.7 million barrels achieved at the end of June 2025,” the administration stated.

The increase in production is also expected to raise the volume of oil lifts available to the Government under the Stabroek Block production sharing agreement (PSA).

When the government’s 2026 budget was announced, Guyana was projected to receive 40 of the 309 oil lifts expected from the Stabroek Block. The latest projections now estimate 326 total lifts, with the government’s share rising to 84.

ONE GUYANA began producing oil in 2025, bringing Yellowtail into production. Output rose from about 75,000 b/d in its first month to the FPSO’s 250,000 b/d design capacity within three months.

The planned optimization follows production improvements made across ExxonMobil’s other producing projects in Guyana. Liza 1 capacity was increased from 120,000 b/d to about 160,000 b/d, while Liza 2 and Payara were optimized from 220,000 b/d to about 265,000 b/d each, adding about 130,000 b/d of capacity across the three developments.

The optimization work has included debottlenecking FPSO systems, improving reservoir management and applying technology to improve well and facility performance.

Yellowtail is expected to recover about 925 million barrels from the Yellowtail and Redtail fields through six drill centers and up to 67 development wells.

ExxonMobil operates the block with a 45% interest. Chevron, through Hess, holds 30%, while CNOOC holds the remaining 25%.