ExxonMobil drilling heralds oil era in Guyana
Keen to add to its production base, ExxonMobil hopes to have the oil flowing from offshore Guyana within two years
It's not yet certain whether the tiny Caribbean state of Guyana is in good shape to handle the revolutionary economic and social impact of a multi-billion-dollar oil industry, but we are about to find out. ExxonMobil has announced that drilling started in May on the first development well for the Liza Phase 1 offshore project—the first of 17 production wells planned for this phase. That programme is expected to result in the start of production in 2020 via a floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) called Liza Destiny. The FPSO, now being converted from an oil tanker, is expected to have a capacity of 120,000 barrels a day (b/d) of oil. Another FPSO with a capacity of 220,00
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution






