TechnipFMC slots first subsea piece into Guyanese waters for ExxonMobil’s fifth oil project

UK-headquartered energy technology provider TechnipFMC has put the first equipment part of a subsea production system in place for an oil development at the Stabroek block, which ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, a subsidiary of the U.S.-headquartered energy giant ExxonMobil, operates off the coast of Guyana.

ExxonMobil hired TechnipFMC in May 2023 to provide a subsea production system for Uaru, which is the oil major’s fifth oil development project in Guyana’s Stabroek block. The contract’s value is said to be between $500 million and $1 billion.

As a result, the UK firm is in charge of project management, engineering, and manufacturing to deliver the overall subsea production system for the project, covering 44 subsea trees and associated tooling, as well as 12 manifolds and associated controls and tie-in equipment.

TechnipFMC describes the installation of its first Subsea 2.0 equipment in the waters of Guyana for the Uaru project as “another magic moment.” According to the company, a tubing head for ExxonMobil’s fifth oil development was locked into position using one of its Schilling UHD-II ROVs.

While disclosing that the first Subsea 2.0 tree for the project will be installed in the coming months, the UK player explains that Subsea 2.0 is its configure-to-order subsea production system platform, which uses pre-engineered components and optimized manufacturing to accelerate projects.

“Congratulations to the entire team executing Uaru at our facilities worldwide and at our Services Base in Georgetown, Guyana. Great work,” underlined the company, which won a similar deal for ExxonMobil’s sixth oil development at the Stabroek block in April 2024.

The $12.7 billion Uaru project will target an estimated resource base of more than 800 million barrels of oil and include up to 10 drill centers and 44 production and injection wells. With a production capacity of approximately 250,000 gross barrels of oil per day, the production start-up is anticipated in 2026.

Japan’s MODEC secured a contract for the FPSO Errea Wittu, which will be deployed at the project. The FPSO, based on the Japanese firm’s M350 newbuild design, will be able to produce 250,000 barrels of oil per day, with an associated gas treatment capacity of 540 million cubic feet per day, and a water injection capacity of 350,000 barrels per day.

MODEC made further progress in the construction of the FPSO Errea Wittu in October 2024, with the completion of the hull block assembly 40 days ahead of the original schedule, following the keel laying segment, which was done five weeks before schedule.

ExxonMobil operates the Stabroek block, spanning 6.6 million acres or 26,800 square kilometers, with a 45% interest. The company’s partners are Hess Guyana Exploration (30%) and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana (25%). The list of ExxonMobil’s five other projects in Guyana includes Liza Phase 1 and Phase 2, Payara, Yellowtail, and Whiptail. 

Steps are also being taken to get the required approvals for Hammerhead as the seventh deepwater oil project in Guyana, which will add between 120,000 and 180,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2029, raising the country’s overall production capacity bar to nearly 1.5 million bpd.