Photo: Wison Energies.
According to a report by Offshore Energy, the China-based clean energy services company Wison New Energies (WNE) has secured a detailed feasibility study for a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility, which will operate in an offshore block in Suriname and be led by Malaysian energy company Petronas.
This liquefied natural gas unit will operate in Block 52, located north of the coastline of the Caribbean country of Suriname. The block is owned and operated by Malaysia’s Petronas, which previously had ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Suriname as partners. However, due to the exit of these two companies from the block in the final months of 2024, Petronas will be solely responsible for operations.
Wison stated that this award represents a major milestone in its trajectory as a company, reaffirming its technical competencies in floating liquefied natural gas facilities. Furthermore, it considers this project as a contribution to the development of the global energy transition.
In this regard, Wison New Energies Vice President An Wenxin said the company is honored to have been selected for the execution of this transformative project. He also noted that Wison is fully committed to contributing to Suriname’s energy development, with a focus on integrated, efficient, and sustainable transformation.
The facility will be located 120 kilometers off the coast of Suriname and will tap into the Sloanea gas field, located 450 meters below sea level.
The unit is expected to have the capacity to process the necessary stream for the production of liquefied natural gas and condensate, which will subsequently be exported internationally and sold locally. Additionally, the plant will be able to receive feed gas from the subsea production system.
Wison New Energies believes that securing this detailed feasibility study will contribute to the initial engineering design study, which will strengthen the energy independence of the Caribbean country, currently positioning itself as a hub for offshore gas development.
Block 52 covers an area of 4,749 square kilometers, where several discoveries have been made. In 2020, gas was discovered through the Sloanea-1 exploration well. Later, in 2024, Petronas drilled the Sloanea-1 appraisal well.
In 2024, the Malaysian company indicated it was evaluating the possibility of developing a standalone floating liquefied natural gas project in the same field, due to discoveries made in the Sloanea-2 well.
Additionally, oil was found in the Roystonea-1 well, also part of Block 52, prompting further evaluation to determine the scope of the find and its potential development synergy with Sloanea-1.
That same year, in May, Petronas reported a third hydrocarbon discovery in the Fusaea-1 well, located 170 kilometers offshore and nearly 10 kilometers east of Roystonea-1. In the latter, in February 2024, numerous Campanian sandstone reservoir packages containing gas and oil had been identified.
Last but not least, it is worth mentioning that Malaysian company Petronas, along with its partners TotalEnergies Angola and Sonangol Pesquisa e Produção, began work to convert a crude oil tanker into a floating unit capable of producing, storing, and offloading, intended for a deepwater project in Angola.
Main Source:
Wison lands work on FLNG destined for Petronas' field off Suriname – Offshore Energy
Related News:
Mining and Indigenous Rights: The Case of Chinalco in Suriname
Marco Rubio travels to curb Chinese influence in the Caribbean
Meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the Caribbean
You may be interested in:
Suriname signs debt rescheduling with China, finance minister says – Reuters
