According to two people close to the negotiations, ExxonMobil is in talks with contractor SBM Offshore NV to build a fourth oil production unit in Guyana.
SBM has been granted contracts by Exxon to build Guyana’s first three floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels.
Within six months, Exxon could pick a platform builder for the future production units. The company deems it is potential to install 10 FPSOs in its Stabroek oil block.
By 2027, the first six vessels could pump more than 1 million bpd of oil and gas. In the third quarter, Exxon’s first FPSO produced 124,000 bpd, and in October, a second, 220,000 bpd FPSO arrived with an initial output due early in 2022.
At the moment, SBM has started constructing the third vessel with an output estimated in 2024. Meanwhile, the fourth vessel will produce 250,000 bpd beginning in 2025.
After finishing the fifth FPSO, Exxon is set to organize bids and open competition for contractors.
Exxon’s massive oil block Stabroek encompasses 6.6 million acres (27,000 square km) off Guyana’s coast.
