Guyana’s offshore oil production reached a new milestone in May 2025, averaging an all-time high of 667,000 barrels per day (b/d). The surge represents a 9.17% increase over April’s output of 611,000 b/d, and brought total crude production for the month to 20.69 million barrels, the highest monthly volume since production began in December 2019.
The increase was largely driven by heightened output at Liza 2 and Payara, both of which were optimized last year by ExxonMobil. These upgrades lifted the production capacity of each floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel from approximately 250,000 b/d to 265,000 b/d. May marked the first time the two projects operated near these optimized levels for an extended period.
FPSO-level output for the month was as follows:
- Liza Destiny (Liza 1): ~141,000 b/d
- Liza Unity (Liza 2): ~262,000 b/d
- Prosperity (Payara): ~264,000 b/d
Liza 2, in particular, rebounded from a dip in April, when its production fell below typical capacity. Its recovery in May played a significant role in pushing national output to new heights.
With all three active FPSOs now operating near optimal levels, Guyana’s total installed production capacity currently stands at 690,000 b/d. This includes 160,000 b/d from Liza Destiny (demonstrated last year) and 265,000 b/d each from Liza Unity and Prosperity.
For the first five months of 2025, average daily production stands at 634,000 b/d, up from 619,000 b/d during the same period in 2024. This steady year-over-year increase demonstrates the consistent growth of Guyana’s oil production since first oil in late 2019, at ExxonMobil’s projects.
Looking ahead, production is set to rise even further with the expected startup of the Yellowtail Project later this year. The arrival of the ONE GUYANA FPSO, which will serve Yellowtail, is expected to push total national production capacity to around 940,000 b/d. The government has projected that average output for full-year 2025 will reach 674,000 b/d, with production in the fourth quarter alone expected to average 786,000 b/d once Yellowtail comes online.
All production of oil offshore Guyana occurs in the Stabroek Block, operated by ExxonMobil, which leads a consortium that includes Hess and CNOOC.
Guyana’s Oil Ledger offers analyses of the latest oil production data and government oil fund receipts, published typically on a fortnightly basis. The column is authored by Kemol King, a journalist specializing in Guyana’s oil and gas sector.
