Suriname is set for a wave of oil and gas exploration, with industry giants Shell, TotalEnergies, and Chevron leading efforts to tap into the country’s promising offshore reserves. Operators plan to drill around 10 wells between 2025 and 2027 in Suriname’s portion of the Guyana-Suriname Basin.
A new report from Norway-based Rystad Energy said since 2020, explorers have found approximately 2.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) in recoverable resources, in the Dutch-speaking nation, positioning it as a top frontier destination.
Wood Mackenzie put Suriname’s oil resource count at more than 2.4 billion barrels and its natural gas resources at 12.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf).
“Suriname has substantial potential in its numerous undrilled prospects and unexplored acreage,” the report states.
Since 2020, frontier oil nations, including Suriname, Namibia, and South Africa, have added about 15.5 billion boe in new oil and gas resources. Rystad Energy said Suriname ranks second only to Namibia in new discoveries. TotalEnergies has led the charge, uncovering approximately 1.6 billion boe in Block 58. Petronas follows with around 500 million boe in Block 52, while APA Corporation has identified about 100 million boe in Block 53.
This string of deepwater discoveries has intensified interest in Suriname’s offshore assets. The country recently completed a successful shallow-water licensing round and farm-in deals, attracting significant industry participation.
“Exploration drilling in Suriname is expected to pick up substantially in the next couple of years,” the report noted, highlighting key targets such as deepwater Blocks 63, 64, and 65, along with shallow water Blocks 5 and 8.
TotalEnergies recently announced that the Stena DrillMAX will soon head to Suriname’s Block 64 to drill the Macaw-1 prospect. Its GranMorgu project in Suriname is the first offshore for the Dutch-speaking nation. The field holds an estimated 750 million barrels of oil. A floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel is being constructed by SBM Offshore. It will produce up to 220,000 barrels per day from around 30 wells. First oil is expected in 2028.
