Sable Offshore has restarted production at the Santa Ynez Unit (SYU), offshore California, marking a major milestone for the development once owned by ExxonMobil. The Santa Ynez Unit was previously shut down in May 2015 after facing regulatory hurdles and a pipeline leak.
Image: ExxonMobil
Sable initiated the flow of oil production from six wells on Platform Harmony of the SYU to LFC at a rate of ~6,000 bopd. Sable has been testing wells on Platform Harmony throughout May 2025 and the well tests have performed consistently stronger than they did at the time of shut-in on May 19, 2015, the company announced. At the time of shut-in, the SYU produced approximately 45,000 boed.
Sable stated it expects to initiate production from the additional 44 wells on Platform Heritage and the additional 26 wells on Platform Hondo in July 2025 and August 2025, respectively.
“SOC is proud to have safely and responsibly achieved first production at the Santa Ynez Unit” said Jim Flores, Chairman and CEO of Sable Offshore. He continued, “The impressive well tests from Platform Harmony confirm the prolific nature of the Santa Ynez Unit reservoir after being dormant for ten years. SOC is excited about our development plan and prospects for the future. This milestone achievement is a result of a tremendous amount of effort from all of Sable’s employees, contractors, Board of Directors, stakeholders, and suppliers. We are very grateful for the cooperation and partnership from our local community and regulatory bodies as we seek to provide energy security to the State of California.”
Additionally, with the completion of the Gaviota State Park anomaly repairs on the Las Flores Pipeline System on May 18, 2025, Sable has now completed its anomaly repair program on the Onshore Pipeline as specified by the Consent Decree, the governing document for the restart and operations of the Onshore Pipeline.
Seven of the eight sections of the Onshore Pipeline have been successfully hydrotested. Sable will complete the final hydrotest in order to meet the final operational condition to restart the Onshore Pipeline as outlined in the Consent Decree. Sable expects to fill the ~540,000 barrels of crude oil storage capacity at LFC by the middle of June 2025 and subsequently recommence oil sales in July 2025.
