Zurich-headquartered engineering heavyweight ABB has won a contract to deliver the topsides and hull electrical systems for the floating production, storage and offloading vessel that Modec is constructing for ExxonMobil’s Uaru oilfield offshore Guyana.

ABB said it would also deploy a power management system and condition monitoring digital solutions to optimise the energy efficiency of operations. The order marks the 14th collaboration between ABB and Japan’s Modec on FPSO projects across South America.

Singapore’s Offshore Frontier Solutions — a joint venture between Modec and compatriot Toyo Engineering — has awarded ABB the contract to deliver a complete electrical system and associated digital solutions for the Uara floater.

The FPSO, named Errea Wittu, will be deployed approximately 200 kilometres off the coast of Guyana. It is ExxonMobil’s fifth FPSO in Guyana and will exploit the Snoek, Mako and Uaru resources within the prolific Stabroek block. Expected to be operational by 2026, with an initial production capacity of 250,000 barrels of oil per day, the vessel will also have an associated gas treatment capacity of 540 million cubic feet per day.

ABB will deliver a topsides and hull electrical system to the vessel through a pre-built ABB eHouse modular substation, which the company claimed reduces risk exposure and costs by commissioning, installing and testing all electrical systems at the shipyard prior to deployment offshore, and enables faster speed to market.

“The FPSO market in South America is growing exponentially driven by the fact that floating platforms are a more cost-efficient, quicker, mobile and sustainable solution to traditional rigs,” said Brandon Spencer, president of ABB Energy Industries.

“Guyana is at the forefront of this growth, and we are thrilled to contribute our technology to help bring this fifth development for ExxonMobil in Guyana to market quickly and efficiently. The country is already seeing the benefits to its GDP, with its government announcing significant investment into advancing its healthcare sector, education and critical infrastructure as a result.”