Longtail moves closer to becoming Stabroek Block’s first gas-focused development

Guyana is advancing plans for its first gas-focused development in the Stabroek Block, with the government reviewing the Longtail Project’s Field Development Plan and production licence application.

This is according to the 2026 Mid-Year Report.

Unlike the Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project in Wales, Region Three, Longtail would involve development of a new offshore petroleum field centred heavily on gas production. The GTE project uses associated gas already produced alongside crude oil from existing Liza developments and transports it to Wales for processing and electricity generation.

Longtail, however, is proposed as the first Stabroek Block development in which natural gas would form a central part of the offshore development itself. While the project is also expected to produce oil, it represents a shift toward the commercial development of Guyana’s larger gas resources.

The report states that Longtail’s Field Development Plan was submitted in March and is being assessed alongside its application for a production licence. Startup is planned for 2030, and Longtail is expected to become the first development in the Stabroek Block centred primarily on natural gas.

Longtail has previously been identified as the proposed eighth development in the offshore Stabroek Block. Budget 2026 said that the project was undergoing regulatory review and, once approved, would form part of the next phase of offshore production.

A second gas-rich development, Haimara, is also advancing through the regulatory processes. It is the ninth development in the Stabroek Block.

An application for environmental authorisation for the Haimara project was submitted during the first half of 2026, and public scoping meetings were completed as part of the environmental review process.

Like Longtail, the Haimara development is expected to focus heavily on natural gas and condensate resources. Production is envisaged for the early 2030s.

Guyana’s existing offshore developments have largely been designed around oil production, although associated gas is also produced and managed as part of those operations. Longtail would represent a different phase, with natural gas forming a central part of the proposed development.

The government has also been pursuing the use of natural gas through the GTE project. The first gas turbine under that project is expected to come online by the end of 2026, with the remaining generating units scheduled to follow under the project’s implementation timetable.

Meanwhile, petroleum development in the Stabroek Block has expanded rapidly. The Hammerhead project became the seventh offshore development after its Field Development Plan and production licence were approved in September 2025.

With Longtail proposed as the eighth project and Haimara as the ninth, the Mid-Year Report shows that planning for the next phase of offshore development is already moving through the regulatory and environmental review processes. [DPI]