Equinor exits Suriname, with ExxonMobil also leaving block

PARAMARIBO, August 7, 2024 – Equinor has exited Suriname as it and ExxonMobil transferred their 33.3% stakes in Block 59 to Hess, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The deals left Hess as 100% stakeholder in the block, where the US company – which is in the process of a merger with Chevron – plans new exploration this year.

Block 59 covers close to 11,500 square kilometres and lies in water depths ranging from nearly 2,000 metres to 3,600 metres.

For more on Suriname’s oil and gas future, read our latest interview with Minister of Foreign Affairs Albert Ramdin.

The Norwegian company is focusing its hydrocarbons operations in several core areas – including Norway, the US Gulf of Mexico and Brazil – while otherwise investing in clean energy.

“We have decided to withdraw from the deepwater Block 59 exploration license in Suriname and we don’t intend to seek further exploration opportunities in the country,” Reuters cited a company spokesperson as saying.

A spokesperson for ExxonMobil, which will continue activities in Suriname in Block 52, said the company had fulfilled its work commitments in Block 59.

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