An offshore command centre is being built within ExxonMobil Guyana’s new operating base, currently under construction at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.
Its President, Alistair Routledge told a news conference on Feb. 9 that the building – which recently gained the attention of Guyana’s National Assembly – will be “fit for purpose development”.
“The inside will be very functional, with all the technology on one floor…one of the buildings has almost entirely been put aside [for] operating facilities…including control rooms, monitoring facilities for the offshore operations connected by fibre optic,” he disclosed.
Exxon’s fibre optic cable will be connected to the Liza Phases 1 and 2, Payara and Yellowtail projects to ensure production within the Stabroek Block is always efficiently managed. It will ultimately connect the oil major’s onshore and offshore facilities, thereby allowing Exxon to improve productivity (field access data and planning), support remote operations, and support reliability (process monitoring and inspection).
The cable will follow the same path as the pipeline proposed for Guyana’s gas-to-energy project, allowing the company to detect leaks and/or third-party intrusion.
“The aim is to ensure that we are operating safely, reliably and optimising the process at all times,” he added.
The full cost for Exxon’s offshore command centre is pegged at US$160 million. The company will recover this from cost oil.
According to Routledge, the building will be complete by April 2024. It will have the capacity to house over 500 persons.
