Uaru

Uaru Oil Field Development Profile

Location and Geology

The Uaru oil field is located within the Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana, approximately 16km northeast of the Liza field. The field is situated in ultra-deepwater, with a water depth of about 2,000 meters (6,562 feet).

Ownership and Operation

The Stabroek Block, where the Uaru field is located, is jointly owned by:

• Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd. (a subsidiary of ExxonMobil), which holds 45% and serves as the operator.
• Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd., which holds 30%.
• CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Ltd., which holds 25%.

Discovery and Reserves

The Uaru oil field was discovered in January 2020 by the Uaru-1 well, which encountered 29 meters (94 feet) of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoir at a depth of 1,933 meters (6,342 feet).

A subsequent well, Uaru-2, drilled in April 2021, is located 11 kilometers south of the Uaru-1 well and encountered 36.7 meters (120 feet) of high-quality oil-bearing reservoir, including newly identified intervals below the Uaru-1 discovery.

The field is estimated to hold more than 800 million barrels of oil.

Development Plan

The development plan for the Uaru field includes:

• Ten drill centers and 44 wells, consisting of 21 production wells and 23 water and gas injection wells.
• The wells will be tied back to the Errea Wittu Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.
• The subsea production system will include 44 subsea trees, 12 manifolds, control accessories, and tie-in equipment.

Errea Wittu FPSO

The Errea Wittu FPSO, designed by MODEC, will be based on the M350 new-build hull design. Key specifications include:

• Production capacity of 250,000 barrels of oil per day.
• Gas treatment capacity of 540 million cubic feet per day.
• Water injection capacity of 350,000 barrels per day.
• Produced water capacity of 300,000 barrels per day.
• Storage capacity of two million barrels of crude oil.
• The FPSO will be deployed approximately 200 kilometers offshore Guyana at a water depth of 1,690 meters, using a SOFEC Spread Mooring System.

Contractors Involved

Several contractors are involved in the Uaru project:

• MODEC: Selected to provide engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) services for the FPSO. Offshore Frontier Solutions, a joint venture between MODEC and Toyo Engineering, will also provide EPCI services.
• Aker Solutions: Contracted to supply dynamic and static umbilicals.
• TechnipFMC: Contracted to provide project management, engineering, and manufacturing services for the subsea production system.
• Strohm: Awarded a contract to supply 24 jumpers made of carbon fibre and PA12 polymer.
• Saipem: Contracted for the design, fabrication, and installation of subsea structures, risers, flowlines, and umbilicals.
• Vallourec: Contracted to supply 35,000 tons of line-pipe, including 2,000 tons of X80 material suitable for deep-water operations.

Investment and Timeline

• The project received government and regulatory approvals in April 2023, following the final investment decision.
• The estimated investment for the project is $12.7 billion.
• Production is scheduled to commence in 2026 and is expected to peak in 2028.
• The field is anticipated to continue production until it reaches its economic limit in 2056.

Economic Impact

The Uaru project, along with other developments in the Stabroek Block, is driving significant investment in the Guyanese economy. ExxonMobil and its contractors have spent approximately $388 million with over 800 local companies since 2015, and more than 2,300 Guyanese are currently supporting project activities on and offshore.