ExxonMobil formally withdraws from Block 52, offshore Suriname
ExxonMobil Exploration & Production Suriname BV has formally notified Staatsolie that it will withdraw from Block 52 in the Surinamese offshore area effective Nov. 14, 2024. ExxonMobil had entered the block through a farm-in deal in 2020 (OGJ Online, May 19, 2020).
ExxonMobil is transferring its 50% working interest to block operator Petronas Suriname E&P BV, Staatsolie said in a release Nov. 20. With the transfer, Petronas now holds a 100% working interest in Block 52. Operations in Block 52 will continue as usual.
Block 52 covers an area of 4,749 sq km, north of the coast of Paramaribo, in the prospective Suriname-Guyana basin with water depths from 50-1,100 m.
A gas discovery was made in 2020 with the Sloanea-1 exploration well. Earlier this year, Petronas advanced exploration of the gas discovery through drilling the Sloanea-2 appraisal well (OGJ Online, May 15, 2024). A letter of agreement was also signed with the contractor on Mar. 4, 2024.
This withdrawal is part of ExxonMobil's ongoing evaluation of assets in its global portfolio.
Alex Procyk | Upstream Editor
Alex Procyk is Upstream Editor at Oil & Gas Journal. He has also served as a principal technical professional at Halliburton and as a completion engineer at ConocoPhillips. He holds a BS in chemistry (1987) from Kent State University and a PhD in chemistry (1992) from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).