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... Continue Reading →
Equinor Extends Seadrill Drillship’s Stay off Brazil
Jan 30 (OE) Equinor has exercised a one-year priced option for Seadrill’s ultra-deepwater drillship West Saturn for operations offshore Brazil. The exercised option adds $114 million to contract backlog and extends the original contract, which started in 2022, through October 2027. West Saturn is a seventh-generation drill ship, adapted for water depths up to 3,600... Continue Reading →
Sweeping oil reform in Venezuela approved, operators expected to gain autonomy
Jan 29 (Reuters) - Lawmakers approved in a final vote on Thursday a sweeping reform of Venezuela's main oil law after sweetening a proposal by interim President Delcy Rodriguez to lower taxes, expand the oil ministry's decision power, grant autonomy for private producers and make possible asset transfers and outsourcings. The changes are expected to... Continue Reading →
France Calls Draft Law on Oil Exploration in Overseas Territories
Jan. 29 (Reuters) French Finance Minister Roland Lescure called a draft law proposing to allow offshore oil and gas exploration in its overseas territories "anachronistic" during a debate in the country's Senate on Thursday. In a world first, France banned new oil and gas exploration and production licenses in 2017, hoping other nations would follow suit. But energy security... Continue Reading →
Lukoil Agrees to Sell International Assets to Carlyle
Jan. 29 (oilprice.com) Russia’s oil producer Lukoil has agreed to sell most of its international assets to private equity giant Carlyle. Following the U.S. sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft, “as a result of Russia’s lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine,” Lukoil announced in October it would sell all of its international assets, initiating a... Continue Reading →
Guyana rigs extended to 2029 as Noble secures US$1.3B in new contracts
Jan. 29 (oilnow.gy) Drilling activity offshore Guyana has been extended through 2029 after ExxonMobil awarded Noble Corporation plc additional rig years under its Commercial Enabling Agreement. The award applies evenly across four drillships operating in Guyana — Noble Sam Croft, Noble Don Taylor, Noble Tom Madden and Noble Bob Douglas — and is part of a broader... Continue Reading →
ExxonMobil Guyana produced 892,000 b/d in December
Jan. 29 (oilnow.gy) ExxonMobil Guyana averaged 892,000 barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil production in December 2025 across its four producing developments in the Stabroek Block, according to newly released government data. Production by project was 130,000 b/d at Liza 1, 244,000 b/d at Liza 2, 256,000 b/d at Payara, and 262,000 b/d at... Continue Reading →
House Democrats warn oil companies of risks of Venezuela transactions
Jan 28 (Reuters) - A dozen House Democrats on Wednesday sent a letter to 21 companies who attended a Jan. 9 White House meeting about developing Venezuelan oil resources, warning them that any transaction or investment they make there faces legal and financial risks. The letter, led by Democratic Congressman Sean Casten, said despite any... Continue Reading →
BP, Shell seeking US licenses for gas fields shared with Venezuela, Trinidad minister says
Jan 28 (Reuters) - Shell and BP are seeking U.S. licenses to extract natural gas from fields in Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela, the Caribbean country's energy minister Roodal Moonilal said on Wednesday. Trinidad is Latin America's largest liquefied natural gas exporter and one of the world's largest exporters of ammonia and methanol, but the Caribbean island... Continue Reading →
Exclusive: Shell considers exit from Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale play, sources say
Jan 22 (Reuters) - Oil major Shell is considering a sale of its assets in Argentina's Vaca Muerta shale play and has approached potential buyers in recent weeks to gauge their interest, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Shell is open to selling some or all of its interests in the highly sought shale... Continue Reading →