Fossil Energy
ExxonMobil is advancing exploration on Trinidad and Tobago’s TTUD-1 block more quickly than it did during the early stages of its campaign in Guyana.
The company expects to receive processed seismic images from the ultra-deepwater block by the end of 2026. It could drill an exploration well in late 2027 or early 2028.
“The data’s in. We’ll have an image by the end of the year and we expect to start drilling in late 2027 or early 2028,” said John Ardill, ExxonMobil’s Vice President of Exploration. He made these comments during a session at the ROG.e energy conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 21 September.
He said that ExxonMobil is moving on TTUD-1 ‘faster than we did in Guyana’, based on the pace of contract negotiations and seismic work. “The geology has to work for us in the same way as in any other basin. But if it does, the pace at which we can operate today compared to Angola, which was great 20 or 25 years ago, and Guyana five years ago, is just getting bigger and faster,” said Ardill.
ExxonMobil signed a production sharing contract with the Trinidad and Tobago government for TTUD-1 in August 2025. Ardill said the agreement followed seven months of negotiations.
TTUD-1 covers approximately 7,765 square kilometres off the east coast of Trinidad and Tobago. This was created by combining seven ultra-deepwater blocks, including areas where water depths exceed 2,000 metres. Occidental Petroleum acquired a 10% interest in TTUD-1 in June 2026. ExxonMobil operates the block and holds 90%.
The block attracted ExxonMobil because it is considered a possible geological extension of the prolific Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. However, Ardill has said that the company cannot guarantee that Trinidad and Tobago’s petroleum system will produce results similar to those in Guyana.
At the same conference, Shell Chief Executive Officer Wael Sawan expressed regret over the company’s exit from Guyana’s Stabroek Block before the oil discovery. “We definitely left at the wrong time,” he said.
