Once its Hammerhead development is off the ground, ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge said the company intends to target Longtail next. Routledge confirmed this on a recent Energy Perspectives podcast.
“Even earlier this week, I think the Minister of Natural Resources, Minister [Vickram] Bharrat, mentioned the Longtail project, and at this point in time, that’s the one we anticipate bringing forward after Hammerhead,” he said.
Exxon aims to produce around 240,000 barrels per day of the “light oil/gas condensate” resource. A 2030 start-up is being considered.
The Longtail-1 discovery in the Stabroek Block, drilled in 2018, uncovered approximately 256 feet (78 meters) of high-quality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. Subsequent drilling at Longtail-3 revealed 230 feet (70 meters) of net pay, including newly identified, high-quality hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs below the original intervals identified in Longtail-1. While appraisal work was conducted at Longtail-2, no discovery was announced.
Bharrat had said that the Longtail development is expected to “produce more gas” than other Stabroek Block projects. However, it is worth noting that the Hammerhead project also contains a significant gas proportion and may see gas piped to shore ahead of Longtail.
The potential development of Longtail aligns with the government’s focus on utilizing the gas resources at the Stabroek Block, which has an estimated 17 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
Just nine years after first discovery Guyana has seven projects in play with three already producing
Back in 2018, OilNOW reported that a joint development of the Longtail, Turbot, Pluma, and Tilapia discoveries was a possibility. According to analysis by UK-based consultancy Wood Mackenzie, such a project could yield approximately 220,000 barrels of oil per day.
