The Stena Carron has commenced appraisal drilling at the Hammerhead-4 well at the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. This is according to the country’s Maritime Administration Department.
Drilling activities are expected to conclude at the end of October. Exxon announced a discovery at the Hammerhead-1 well in August 2018.
The Hammerhead discovery is expected to form the basis of Exxon’s seventh oil development offshore Guyana. The company is targeting production of 120,000-180,000 barrels per day (b/d) of oil production, and is considering bringing some of the gas to shore. This would be in addition to the gas expected to be brought to shore from the Liza field, starting in 2025. First production at Hammerhead, however, is expected in 2029.
The government expects Exxon to submit a field development plan (FDP) early 2025. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) has also been requested as part of the review process for environmental authorization.
The addition of Hammerhead could take total oil production capacity offshore Guyana to 1.5 million b/d.
The Stena Carron moved on to the Hammerhead appraisal well after drilling at the Haimara-4 well, the second appraisal of the Haimara discovery this year. Exxon is sizing up the natural gas present at that field in the lead-up to considering a non-associated gas development in partnership with Fulcrum LNG.
ExxonMobil is the operator of the Stabroek Block with a 45% stake, while Hess holds 30% and CNOOC holds 25%. The operator has so far discovered 11.6 billion oil-equivalent barrels and is actively producing oil from three developments.
