Introduction
Guyana’s oil discovery process began with onshore exploration in 1916 within the North West
District of the country. Offshore exploration commenced in 1950 after which companies such as
Shell, Conoco, Deminex among others invested in exploration. Efforts to explore offshore
Guyana for oil were continued by several countries but were proven futile. In May 2015,
ExxonMobil and its subsidiaries indicated the discovery of commercial quantities of oil after
commencing exploration in 2008.
ExxonMobil has had successful discoveries since 2015 with consistent announcements of
commercial quantities of oil. However not all discoveries are in the production phase. Some of
the discoveries made were The Liza discovery in 2015, The Payara discovery in 2017, The
Yellowtail discovery in 2019 and The Redtail discovery in 2020 (ExxonMobil Guyana, 2020).
Overview of the ExxonMobil operation of the Oil and Gas business
In the overview presented by Mr. Mike Ryan, ExxonMobil Guyana operates offshore using the
Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO). The company will manage three (3) FPSOs by
2023 which are Liza Destiny, Liza Unity and Prosperity. Liza destiny, which is the production
phase, has the capacity of 120 persons which requires a 1 hour helicopter ride from Georgetown
to arrive. This FPSO is 334 x 58 meters, weighs approximately 16,000 tons and operates 193 km
offshore in waters with a depth of 1800m. Liza Phase 1 reservoir has the ability to produce oil,
gas (methane) and produced water. The operation currently produces 120,000 barrels of oil per
day with a capacity to produce 160 MCFD gas injection of methane and 100 KBD of produced
water with a discharge quality of 29 ppm oil in water. The FPSO comprises several systems
working in sync to process the oil from the reservoir, reduce pollution impact and ensure safety
of the employees and environment. The systems utilized on the FPSO are:
Oil production system is designed with the aim to separate the oil so that it achieves the quality
for sale. This is achieved through a series of equipment that works together to separate the
extracted substance into three phases, oil, gas and water. The equipment utilized in this FPSO are
High pressure separator, High head exchanger, Medium pressure degasser, Low pressure
separator, Electrostatic treater and Crude cooler.
Gas Compression and Injection system is designed to conserve and exercise pressure
management of the Liza Phase 1 reservoir. It also has the ability to provide power for some
machines. Gas in the wells is monitored by Flash gas compressors for low pressure, main gas
compressors for medium pressure and injection gas compressors for high pressure.
Flare system is a safety mechanism that reduces the pressure of gas thereby removing the risk of
a fire or explosion on the FPSO.
Water treatment system is designed to remove remaining oil from water according to
compliance with regulations for safe discharge. The water is processed using the following
equipment such as hydro cyclones, induced gas flotation, off specification fluids, onboard
autosampler.
Seawater injection assists in the maintenance of pressure for reservoirs. The treatment of
seawater involves the removal of oxygen and filtration.
Produced water injection is a consideration for reservoir pressure maintenance, however the
quantity available is not feasible in addition to the risk involved with injection such as bacterial
growth.
According to ExxonMobil (2020), Liza Phase 1 consists of three gas injection wells, six water
injection wells and four drill centers with 17 oil wells.
ExxonMobil’s HSE Management System
According to the Exxon representative Mr. Mike Ryan, the HSE management system employed
by ExxonMobil is the Operations Integrity Management System (OIMS). This system is guided
by eleven elements under the theme “Safety by Design. Operate it right. Maintain it right”.
The 11 elements are:
● Management,leadership,
commitment and accountability
● Risk assessment and management
● Facilities design and construction
● Information/ documentation
● Personal and Training
● Operations and Management
● Management of change
● Third Party services
● Incident investigation and Analysis
● Community awareness an
Emergency preparedness
● Operations Integrity Assessment and
Improvement
ExxonMobil’s Environmental Management and Monitoring
The Environmental and regulatory commitments of ExxonMobil’s Esso Exploration and
Production Guyana Limited are managed by a database that tracks the obligations and monitors
compliance. Some of the regulations that ExxonMobil complies with includes The Liza Phase 1
(LP1) EPA Environmental Permit, EEPGL LP1 Environment Socioeconomic Management Plan
(ESMP) and National Regulations and International Standard.
Environmental Management: Air Emissions
● Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) monitors air emissions daily
- Air emissions from all FPSO sources are submitted annually to the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)
- Daily flare volumes are submitted to the EPA
- Fuel usage is tracked for all air emissions sources daily
● Leak Detection and Repair Program (LDAR) is implemented to reduce fugitive
(methane) emissions
Environmental Management: Water Quality
Waste effluent discharges include cooling water, slop tank water, treated greywater/ blackwater,
produced water, bilge water, ballast water.
● Water quality chemical profile focus areas include
- oily water content (produced water, bilge water, slop tank water)
- chlorine residual (treated greywater/blackwater)
- temperature (produced water, cooling water)
● Water effluent discharges are monitored daily in operations
● Discharges are treated to meet international standards (MARPOL, IMO, World Bank,
US-EPA)
● Water effluent discharge volumes and water quality compliance is reported to the EPA on
a monthly and annual frequency
● Chemicals for treating wastewater are managed to meet requirements of regulations.
Environmental Management: Hazardous Waste
The waste hierarchy used by EEPGL is remove, reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, treat, dispose.
● Management of waste is done in fulfillment of:
- EEPGL waste management plan
- Vessel garbage management plan
- MARPOL requirements
- Guyana EPA hazardous waste management regulations
● Operations performs regular inspections of the waste storage area and containers
● Waste minimization by treatment of waste:
-EEPGL's hazardous and non-hazardous waste are treated by Tiger Rentals
Guyana (TRG) making them suitable for land disposal.
● Hazard communication is done through written programs and signage
Environmental Management: Chemical Hazards
Chemicals are used offshore on the FPSO to aid in the separation of oil, water and gas.
● Chemicals are selected based on Guyana’s laws and regulations
● Hierarchy of controls used to manage chemicals:
- Elimination/Substitution
- Engineering controls eg. Ventilation
- Administrative controls such as Exposure control programs eg. Benzene Program
- Personal Protective Equipment eg. gloves, safety goggles
● Exposure Assessment eg. use of benzene badges on the FPSO
● The safety data sheet is utilized in the event of exposure to a chemical.
● New chemicals are reviewed using the safety data sheet and evaluating alternative
chemicals.
