Guyana overschrijdt mijlpalen in olieproductie, vier projecten leveren ruim één miljard vaten

Guyana’s fast-growing offshore oil industry has secured a series of unprecedented production milestones across its flagship Stabroek Block, cementing its status as one of the world’s fastest-emerging major petroleum producers. Independent analysis of official production data from Guyana’s Ministry of Natural Resources, compiled by energy intelligence firm OilNOW, reveals that three of the block’s active projects have individually crossed cumulative output thresholds ranging from 100 million to over 300 million barrels of crude oil. The Liza 1 development, which launched Guyana’s first commercial oil operations in December 2019, surpassed the 300-million-barrel mark in August 2026, reaching a total cumulative output of 304.45 million barrels by the end of September. The Payara project, which came online in November 2023, exceeded 250 million barrels of cumulative production in September, finishing the month at 254.13 million barrels total. The newest operating asset, Yellowtail, which commenced production in August 2025, hit the 100-million-barrel milestone on October 1, 2026, after posting an average daily output of 275,000 barrels in September – meaning it reached the 100 million barrel threshold in less than 14 months of operation. Liza 2, the longest-running active facility after Liza 1, remains the block’s top cumulative producer with 386.17 million barrels of output recorded since it launched operations in February 2022. Combined, the four producing Stabroek Block assets had generated 1.045 billion barrels of crude by the end of September 2026, moving well past the 1 billion barrel cumulative production threshold that operator ExxonMobil officially announced that same month. The Stabroek Block operations are governed by a partnership structure that sees ExxonMobil hold a 45% operating stake, Chevron – following its acquisition of Hess’s assets – hold a 30% share, and Chinese state energy firm CNOOC hold the remaining 25% interest. All four active projects rely on purpose-built Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels, and years of targeted capacity expansion have pushed Guyana’s total national average daily oil output to 906,000 barrels in September 2026, marking an 8.9% rise from the 831,800 barrel per day average recorded in August. Breakdowns of September production show Liza 2 contributed 260,200 barrels per day, Yellowtail 274,800 barrels per day, Payara 253,900 barrels per day, and Liza 1 117,100 barrels per day, highlighting that newer developments now account for the vast majority of national output. The sector’s growth trajectory is set to accelerate further in the near term: the fifth FPSO vessel, named Errea Wittu, arrived in Guyanese waters in August 2026 to support the upcoming Uaru project, which has a designed production capacity of 250,000 barrels per day. ExxonMobil is currently progressing pre-production work to bring Uaru online in the fourth quarter of 2026, a launch that will push Guyana’s total daily output well over the 1 million barrel threshold. Two additional developments, the Whiptail project scheduled for 2027 launch and the Hammerhead expansion, are also in the pipeline to extend the Stabroek Block’s production run for decades. This explosive production growth is already translating to unprecedented windfalls for Guyana’s national economy: data from the Guyanese Ministry of Finance shows crude oil export revenues hit $15.05 billion USD in the first half of 2026, accounting for nearly 93% of the country’s total $16.2 billion USD in export earnings for that six-month period. Full-year 2026 petroleum-related government revenues are projected to reach nearly $6.5 billion USD. While the rapid expansion of the oil sector has catapulted Guyana from a small lower-middle income nation to a global energy player in less than seven years, it also presents significant new policy challenges, including the need for robust, transparent resource revenue governance, strong independent regulatory oversight of offshore operations, and equitable distribution of oil wealth to deliver tangible public benefits for all Guyanese citizens.