US-based oil major ExxonMobil has announced that its third project offshore of Guayna, Papaya, has commenced production.
Production at Papaya is being handled by a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel named Prosperity. Like the nearby Liza Unity, it is one of the world’s first FPSO vessels to receive the American Bureau of Shipping’s SUSTAIN-1, due to its sustainable design and operation.
Thanks to this and other factors, the greenhouse gas intensity of ExxonMobil’s Guyana operations is 30% lower than the average for the company’s full portfolio.
ExxonMobil, which also makes lubricants like the Mobil DTE hydraulic oil, expects production at Papaya to reach 220,000 barrels per day (bpd), taking ExxonMobil’s overall production offshore of Guyana to 620,000 bpd.
ExxonMobil Upstream Company‘s president, Liam Mallon, said about the project coming on line:
“Each new project supports economic development and access to resources that will benefit Guyanese communities while also helping to meet the world’s energy demand. We’re pleased to work in partnership with the Guyanese government to make reliable energy accessible and sustainable.”
The company says that more than two thirds of the oil and gas workforce in Guyana are local Guyanese people working for ExxonMobil, with the company also having spent $1.2 billion on direct contracts with over 1,500 local suppliers since 2015.
What’s more, ExxonMobil plans to have six FPSOs in operation by the end of 2027, which is projected to take its total production in the Stabroek Block to 1.2 million bpd.