Opinion
5 years post-first oil, Guyanese have not seen any major benefits
Its Thanksgiving weekend in America, which kicks off the Christmas holiday season in the US. The US President is giving his citizens an early Christmas present by releasing oil from the US Strategic reserve to curtail the rise in gasoline prices and heating bills. US citizens can celebrate low unemployment levels and an economy that…
One local content item that Guyana is successfully capable of handling is insurance
I refer to the letter in Stabroek News yesterday in which the Insurance Association of Guyana has spoken up. It is nice to see that my old association is taking a public stand in representation of the insurance industry and its capabilities, and in the process, correcting the false notion that Guyana is unprepared for…
It is imperative the calculations behind the AFHP electrical energy per kWh be shown
The Government recently paid for full-colour, double-page spreads in the daily newspapers touting the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) for powering Guyana’s future. The topmost justification is the Norconsult 2016 report on AFHP, which states, “The only realistic path for Guyana toward an emission free electricity sector is by developing its hydropower potential. The fastest…
Stabroek Block costs appear to be padded by at least 25%
The government is promising to audit the US$9.5 billion in capital costs outside the audit window that is now closed. It hasn’t explained how it will enforce any discrepancies found given that the time frame to audit Liza 1 and Liza 2, the first 2 projects in the Stabroek block, have expired. But let’s not…
These unanswered questions will determine how wealthy or poor Guyanese become
I would like to follow-up on SN November 18, 2021. Mere stating that an audit will be done does not mention if the 2016 Contract terms, Article 23 and Annex C will be renegotiated. There are also a number of unanswered questions that could secure Guyana’s interests. Will Guyana’s property and tax laws related to…
Audio & rough transcript of YellowTail Exxon/EPA meeting on Nov 11th, 2021
Presentation Deck (not original): exxon-epa-yellowtail-20211111 Questions during the presentation (may contain errors): Here is a rough transcript of the above audio, this is experimental thus there are mistakes in this text transcript: Microsoft Word Transcript (Experimental): PDF version of Transcript (Experimental): transcript20211112a
Oil and Gas Network encourages all Guyanese to join the EPA/Exxon Zoom public consultation
The Oil and Gas Governance Network (OGGN) would like to encourage all Guyanese – in the Diaspora and at home – to save the date for the EPA/Exxon Zoom public consultation this Thursday, November 11, from 6:00 -8:00 pm, Guyana Time. For New York, USA and Toronto, Canada, it is 5:00 to 7:00 pm, EST….
There might be cause to file private criminal action to ensure oil accounts are audited
The revelation of the Government’s VP who oversees oil and gas that the almost $US9 billion Liza 1 and Liza 2 expenses have not been audited is tantamount to the Government aiding and abetting the fleecing of Guyana’s resources. The sin of omission of failure to do audits is as bad as the sin of…
At the Yellowtail EIA presentation held in Region 3
I attended the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) presentation of the Yellowtail Development Project held Monday Nov 1, 2021, at the Leonora Technical Institute (LTI). The presenters were very cordial and courteous in their presentations and answers to questions. The EIA itself was published in 3 volumes on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, and its…
Cabinet’s hydro project ‘no objection’ may be ill-advised
A reader might be misled by the Government’s current enthusiasm to start construction of this small dam (by global standards) in the remote Kuribrong River; SN 01 November ‘Cabinet gives China Railway ‘no objection’ for Amaila hydro project’. The Cabinet appears to have been persuaded by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo that the Norwegian advisers, Norconsult,…