TotalEnergies is a key global energy company committed to delivering vital energy resources to the market, thereby enhancing global energy development and supporting the economic growth of each country’s energy sector. In recent years, we’ve seen the expansion of TotalEnergies’ operations in Suriname, where the company is delivering exciting energy exploration and production projects that are bringing key investment into the country for the long-term development of Suriname’s energy sector. However, across all of TotalEnergies’ operations, and especially those in Suriname, the company remains committed to developing these energy resources with sustainability and local responsibility in mind.
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TotalEnergies’ operations in Suriname began in late 2019, when it signed its first agreement in the country for a 50% operated stake in one of the region’s most prolific oil-producing regions, the Guyana-Suriname Basin. The agreement covered Block 58, which today is the site of the GranMorgu project, a major deep-water offshore oil project that is operated by TotalEnergies. The GranMorgu project spans the Sapakara South and Krabdagu oil fields and has been a site of significant development under TotalEnergies in recent years. The project has a confirmed combined recoverable resource of close to 750 million barrels across the two oil fields, offering a vital energy development for Suriname. Block 58 is jointly owned by TotalEnergies and APA Corporation in an equal 50% partnership. However, following the FID for the project in 2024, Staatsolie Maatschappij Suriname N.V. (Staatsolie), Suriname’s state-owned national oil company, were given the option to enter the agreement with a 20% ownership.
The GranMorgu project will deliver new wells at depths of between 100 and 100 metres across Block 58. Oil production will be achieved through this system of subsea wells, which will ultimately be connected to an FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading Unit) also located off the Suriname Coast. Once completed, the project is expected to have an oil production capacity of 200,000 barrels of oil per day (b/d), and it will contribute significantly to the development of oil resources across Suriname. Production is expected to begin from the project in 2028, where the FPSO is designed to support future connections of satellite fields across the block to extend the duration of its production plateau.
The GranMorgu development represents a vital investment in Suriname’s energy sector, not just for its expected production rates, but due to the investment it brings to the local community. The total GranMorgu project will see a total of $10.5 billion invested, and a significant portion of this will be made locally, which will contribute to the local employment and economic development of Suriname. A key reason for this is that local companies, including logistics providers as well as the maintenance of the installation, will see between $1-1.5 billion invested in local content, creating over 60,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs across Suriname. Thus, the local community has long played a key role in the development of the project, and so throughout its development, TotalEnergies has remained committed to working with local stakeholders across Paramaribo and the coastal districts to maintain a dialogue surrounding the development project. This dialogue ensures that its development continues to positively impact local communities whilst enhancing the country’s overall energy development.
Alongside the project’s key local community development, TotalEnergies also remains focused on delivering the project in line with its sustainability strategy to create more low-emission and low-cost oil and gas projects. The GranMorgu project is well in line with these goals, due to its focus on minimising greenhouse gas emissions, with the final project’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity planned to be less than 16kg Carbon Dioxide equivalent per barrel of oil equivalent (CO2e/boe). This will be achieved through the all-electric FPSO for the project, which will have zero routine flaring and full reinjection of associated gas into its reservoirs. In addition, the project will be optimised for power usage with a Waste Heat Recovery unit and an optimised water-cooling system for enhanced efficiency, as well as the installation of a methane detection and monitoring system. Collectively, these measures aim to help TotalEnergies deliver the GranMorgu project to enhance the region’s energy potential, support local content, whilst also limiting its overall impact on the environment.
Speaking on the FID reached in 2024, Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, outlines, “Building on TotalEnergies’ pioneering spirit, this landmark project marks the first offshore development in the country and capitalises on our extensive expertise in deep offshore innovation. Launched only a year after the end of appraisal, GranMorgu fits with our strategy to accelerate time-to-market and develop low-cost and low-emission oil projects.” Pouyanné’s comments here highlight just how valuable this project will be for the future of Suriname’s energy sector, thanks to its focus on enhancing the country’s offshore energy potential, whilst implementing measures to limit its environmental impact and support local development.
However, TotalEnergies’ operations in Suriname do not end there, because in 2025 the company announced it had signed an agreement to acquire the 25% interest held by Moeve in Block 53. Block 53 is located directly east of Block 58, where the GrandMorgu development is taking place. Following the acquisition, Block 53 is now held in a joint venture between APA Corporation (45% and operator), Petronas (30%) and TotalEnergies (25%). Block 53 contains the Baja-1 discovery, where over 34 metres of oil were encountered in the Campanian formation. This discovery is a significant down-dip extension of the same deposit system as the Krabdagu discovery in Block 58. For TotalEnergies, the proximity of Block 53’s development to its existing GranMorgu infrastructure in Block 58 will allow TotalEnergies to utilise its existing networks to enhance the development of Block 53.
According to Javier Rielo, Senior Vice President Americas, Exploration and Production at TotalEnergies, “This acquisition brings new resources to the development of our low-cost and low-emission Gran Morgu project.” Rielo continues, “It also proves how TotalEnergies will leverage GranMorgu infrastructure to develop profitably additional resources and extend its production plateau, strengthening the position of the Company in the offshore of Suriname.” As we can see from Rielo’s comments, the acquisition of 25% of the Block 53 development will help enhance TotalEnergies’ total portfolio across Suriname’s energy sector to deliver vital energy development that can strengthen the company’s energy delivery for the future.
Suriname represents a vital hub for energy development in South America, and with TotalEnergies providing vital oil and gas resource development projects, the country’s energy sector looks set to continue to grow in the coming years. However, each project delivered by TotalEnergies in Suriname is underpinned by local and environmental considerations to ensure that Suriname can produce the energy it needs now, whilst supporting the future of the country’s energy sector. With continued investment and acquisitions into the sector, we look forward to seeing how TotalEnergies will continue to enhance its network across Suriname, whilst leveraging its existing infrastructure to enhance the energy potential of the country for the future.
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