Next up on ExxonMobil’s Stabroek Block development list is Yellowtail – one of the largest ever sanctioned. Coming in at US$10 billion, the project is running ahead of schedule; with the production vessel 45% complete and preparatory works progressing in the offshore field.
So, here’s everything you need to know about Yellowtail:
- The Yellowtail development is located in the eastern portion of the Stabroek Block, approximately 200 kilometres from Georgetown and southeast of other projects.
- It taps into the Yellowtail and Redtail reservoirs discovered in April 2019 and August 2020 respectively.
- ExxonMobil Guyana made the final investment decision (FID) on the project in April 2022, after securing environmental approval from the Environmental Protection Agency and a Production License from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
- Production is scheduled to commence in 2025, with an estimated investment of US$10 billion.
- The development plan for Yellowtail includes six drill centres and the drilling of up to 67 development wells, including 26 production and 25 injection wells.
- A subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) production system comprising 51 enhanced vertical deepwater trees (EVDT) with associated tooling, as well as 12 manifolds with related controls and tie-in equipment, will also be installed for the project by TechnipFMC.
- Yellowtail will utilise the ‘ONE GUYANA’ floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel contracted by SBM Offshore for processing.
- ONE GUYANA will be SBM Offshore’s 4th unit for Exxon, utilising a newbuild, multi-purpose floater hull based on its Fast4Ward® programme.
- It will be spread moored by an up to 22-point spread mooring anchor system at a water depth of approximately 1,800 metres.
- ONE GUYANA will be able to produce 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil. The vessel will also have a storage capacity of two million barrels of crude oil, gas treatment capacity of 450 million ft³ a day, and water injection capacity of 300,000 bpd.
- The vessel will be designed to perform produced water treatment functions as well as oil separation and gas injection. It will include a flare tower, safety system and power generation capability, and crude metering system.
