Opinion
The Myth of the equal share – Part 1
Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Column 119 – January 09, 2024 Introduction On the occasion of the first column for 2024, I extend best wishes to readers for an informed and productive year and realisation of the hope of a fairer contract. Readers will recall the promise made in…
Natural Resource Fund Inflows under Article 14.1 of the 2016 P.A and Section 15 of the NRF Act
Originally Published At: https://www.chrisram.net/?p=2421
Payment of Tax under Article 15.4 (b) and 15.5 of the Petroleum Agreement
Originally Published At: https://www.chrisram.net/?p=2424
Chevron and transparency
On October 23, 2023, Chevron announced that it had purchased Hess shares in the ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) for US$53.0 Billion. Recalling that Hess owned 30 percent of the company, this ownership implied that the total equity in the company is now estimated to be US$176.7B, with the remainder distributed as US$79.5B for ExxonMobil, and…
Do US interests still prevail in Essequibo two hundred years after the Monroe Doctrine?
Janette Bulkan is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia This column reflects on the Joint Declaration of Argyle against the geopolitical backdrop in which Guyana and Venezuela are enmeshed. One can contrast the Guyana government’s declarations of sovereignty against the tangible exercise of power and influence before and after May 2015, when…
The NRF tax violation calls into question sanctity of the Stabroek Block Contract
A few years ago, oil companies would bombard the Guyanese people with “frontier country” to justify an embarrassing Stabroek Block contract that is currently paying us a paltry 14.5% or less of total oil revenues. The oil companies seem to have retreated from marketing us the “frontier country” tune after pushback from those in the…
Natural Resource Fund overstated by $274,765 Mn., should be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Part 118 – December 29, 2023 Among the several challenges facing the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) – also known internationally as a Sovereign Wealth Fund – identified in column 117 published on 22 December, was one which I described simply as “accounting”. Readers will…
What comes to an end in June 2027 is the Petroleum Prospecting Licence
I have to confess to some impatience at having to correct, once again, some of the disinformation being peddled. Instead of taking stock of how this individual embarrasses himself, he continues to show reckless indifference, as if it were a badge of honour. Two months ago, there was a demonstration of the inability to differentiate…
Big Oil, Big Problems
Details, including the full terms of reference or scope, remain unpublished regarding the 2018-2020 ExxonMobil Guyana US$7.3B cost recovery audit report, leaving Guyanese to speculate on the political, economic, and military influences on Guyanese-led RVHE Consulting and international firms: Martindale Consultants Inc. and SGS. Kaieteur News released an article on November 12th, titled, ‘How ExxonMobil…
Natural Resource Fund faces institutional, Capacity, investment and accounting challenges.
Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Part 117 – December 22, 2023 Introduction The International Monetary Fund and the Inter-American Bank have both expressed concerns about the structure and operations of the Natural Resource Fund, one of the PPP/C’s flagship projects directly associated with the oil and gas economy. This…