Authorities in Guyana have begun the process for hiring an expert to review the Field Development Plan (FDP) submitted by US oil major ExxonMobil for the 220,000 barrels per day Payara Development.
“The Department of Energy (DE) has received the Field Development Plan (FDP) submission for Payara, and it has commenced the tendering process for an expert reviewer,” DE Director, Dr. Mark Bynoe told reporters at a press conference recently held in Guyana’s capital, Georgetown.
He said it is expected that by the end of the year a decision will be made on the FDP and “if all goes well, first oil at Payara should be by 2022/2023.”
Payara will be ExxonMobil’s third development at the Stabroek Block. During the early stage of production operations, the project is anticipated to produce an average of approximately 5,700,000 to 6,600,000 barrels of crude oil per month. However, these estimates are preliminary and are subject to change.
The Payara Development will see approximately 35-45 wells being drilled from 10 subsea drill centres, consisting of a combination of producers and injectors to support oil production.
The Payara FPSO will be a VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) size floating facility with double hull protection, with approximate dimensions of 340m long by 60m wide by 33m deep (1,115 ft long by 197 ft wide by 108 ft deep). By the time production begins at Payara, this FPSO will join its sister ships – Liza Destiny and Unity already producing oil offshore the South American country.
