ExxonMobil Guyana is planning to put in place an enabling agreement for project shore base facilities, equipment, and services to support future projects in the new South American oil producing country.
The energy company is looking to identify Contractors who can provide a fully functional, fit for purpose shore base located in Guyana to support the needs of future projects, starting in 2023.
Phase 2 of the Liza Development is set for start-up next year while the Payara project is targeted for first oil in 2024. A number of other projects are expected to get underway in the coming years from the 18 discoveries made so far at the prolific Stabroek block.
In a Request For Information (RFI) questionnaire seen by OilNOW, contractors are being asked to provide details of the land owned or controlled by their company that is being proposed for use, along with descriptions of the supporting infrastructure/utilities available. Contractors must also describe their development plans for the proposed location including phases of development, associated timeline, companies involved in the development and their roles, and potential for site expansion. Other information required include full operational plans and a demonstration of competence for performing engineering, construction, project oversight, overall shorebase development, and management /operations of shorebase facilities.
“ExxonMobil’s local content strategy is core to our business. Its elements are formally integrated into daily processes and procedures and guides the way we work today and plan for tomorrow,” the company stated in the RFI documents. “Using a multi-tiered approach, we focus on building workforce and supplier capabilities in conjunction with strategic investments in the local community.”
Analysts have said the growing activity offshore Guyana is likely to hit peak in the latter part of this decade and will require large shorebase support services which is something the country will have to begin considering.
Former Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Energy and Energy Affairs, Kevin Ramnarine has pointed out that Guyana offshore will move from one FPSO at present to at least five towards the middle of the decade in addition to multiple drillships and support vessels. By 2030 the number of FPSOs in operation and on order could reach ten.
The offshore operations are currently supported by majority Guyanese-owned port company – Guyana Shore Base Inc. (GYSBI) which has moved from operating on a 12-hour basis employing just a handful of Guyanese to what is now a 24-hr facility with close to a 100% local workforce. As the offshore operations multiply, Ramnarine said demand for these types of services will increase.
“That is going to multiply significantly by 2025 so Guyana has to give thought now to the shorebase infrastructure that supports that expanding industry because the industry is going to keep expanding in Guyana until it reaches its peak which would be sometime in the late part of this decade,” he stated.
