Exxon Mobil's newest floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit for Guyana is in the final stages of construction and is expected to reach the South American nation sooner than planned, company officials said on Thursday.
The vessel, named Errea Wittu, is being built by Japanese engineering and shipbuilder MODEC at facilities in Singapore. Once complete, the FPSO will depart for Guyanese waters to support operations at the Uaru offshore development. It is designed to produce, store and offload up to 250,000 barrels per day from that project.
Alistair Routledge, Exxon’s country head in Guyana, told reporters on Thursday that strong crude prices at present could enable the firm to recover its expenditures in the country this year, moving that milestone forward from an earlier projection of 2027. He noted the current pricing environment as a factor that may accelerate cost recovery timelines.
Beyond Errea Wittu, Exxon is maintaining progress across its Guyana program. The company remains on schedule to bring its Whiptail project online by the end of 2027. In addition, management is pursuing a faster start for its seventh development, Hammerhead, targeting a 2028 startup rather than the previously planned 2029 timeline, Routledge said.
Looking further down the line, Exxon’s ninth project in Guyana will concentrate on the Haimara discovery. The company plans to submit the project plan for government approval by next year, according to Routledge.
Separately, an Exxon executive outlined a potential energy infrastructure investment for Guyana: a gas pipeline to the Berbice region that could carry an estimated price tag of $2 billion.
The sequence of updates underscores Exxon's multi-project push in Guyana - moving a key FPSO into place, advancing near-term starts and preparing additional developments for governmental review. High global crude prices are cited by company officials as a catalyst for earlier-than-expected cost recovery within the country.
While the company reports solid progress, several planned milestones remain contingent on regulatory approvals and execution of complex offshore and onshore infrastructure projects.