Guyana’s offshore oil production depends on floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels. These vessels are designed to handle large volumes of oil and associated gas while operating efficiently and keeping emissions as low as possible.
Production in the Stabroek Block is supported by a growing fleet of FPSOs.
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Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) approved by Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show that managing associated gas is a key part of both operations and environmental protection.
Using gas for power
On Guyana’s FPSOs, gas produced alongside oil is captured and treated instead of being wasted. This gas is used as fuel to power turbines that generate electricity for production systems, compression equipment and other onboard needs.
Using natural gas instead of diesel greatly reduces emissions. The power systems are also designed to switch to diesel if the gas supply is briefly interrupted. This improves reliability and lowers the risk of flaring during operational problems.
According to EPA-approved environmental impact assessments for Stabroek Block projects – the Liza 1, Liza 2, Yellowtail and Whiptail – reviewed by OilNOW, power generation is the largest source of air emissions offshore. Because of this, fuel choice and energy efficiency are central to emissions control.
Reinjection instead of routine flaring
After meeting power needs, any remaining associated gas is not routinely flared. Instead, it is compressed and reinjected into the reservoir. This approach was chosen for projects such as Whiptail after detailed technical and reservoir studies.
Gas reinjection helps maintain pressure in the reservoir and increases oil recovery over time. It also reduces emissions. Continuous flaring was considered during project planning, but rejected because it would produce higher emissions.
As a result, flaring on Guyana’s FPSOs is classified as non-routine and is mainly limited to startup, maintenance, or unexpected disruptions.
Built-in emission controls
FPSOs operating offshore Guyana include several features designed to reduce emissions. These include closed-loop flare systems, waste heat recovery units, vapour recovery systems, variable frequency drives, and high-efficiency turbines.
Leak detection and repair programmes are also required to control emissions from equipment such as valves, compressors and flanges. These measures follow international standards and good industry practice.
Together, these systems help reduce greenhouse gases and other pollutants during normal operations.
Offshore monitoring and onshore protection
Because offshore production takes place more than 190 kilometers from Guyana’s coast, the EPA required air dispersion modelling to assess possible impacts on land. The modelling showed that offshore emissions are unlikely to affect air quality in coastal communities, habitats or wildlife.
Emissions from support vessels and helicopters were also assessed and found to be relatively small.
Emissions in the national context
FPSO operations do add to Guyana’s national greenhouse gas emissions. However, EPA assessments note that these increases remain small compared with Guyana’s overall carbon sink, supported by its large forest cover under the Low Carbon Development Strategy.
Gas reinjection is identified as a key mitigation measure, helping to keep emissions much lower than if routine flaring were used.
In this regard, Guyana’s offshore production model treats associated gas as an operational asset rather than an environmental burden.
