Guyana President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has launched Guyana’s competitive bid round for 14 offshore oil blocks, comprised of eleven shallow water blocks and three ultra-deepwater blocks.
Officially open today, December 9th 2022, the bid round is expected to be open for 4 months and will close on April 14th 2023.
With the massive potential for “25 billion barrels”, President Ali outlined that evaluations of the proposals will take place and following an expedited negotiation period, awards of blocks are expected in Q2 2023.
Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat is expected to publish a notice in the Official Gazette in keeping with the Petroleum Act.
Guyana has seen extraordinary success with offshore discoveries in the last 5 years. The country continues to grow and expand the opportunities to increase production and the inflow of investment into the energy industry and other sectors. The largest upstream player to date has been Exxon, who produces more than 340,000 barrels of oil per day from two FPSOs. The company has had significant success in Guyana and indicates that additional FPSOs are already in development for future projects.
The government has made it clear in the past that the industry must be to the benefit of all Guyanese citizens. At the launch of the bid round, President Ali, stated, “We are hoping that there will be maximum participation and that Guyana would be part of a partnership that creates greater benefit and greater wins for our country and our people.”
Improved fiscal terms have been outlined that provide greater balance of the share of revenue between the government and contractor, while maintaining Guyana’s competitive edge in the region globally.
The International Energy Conference and Expo will take place from February 14-17 2023 at the Guyana Marriott Hotel. At the conference there will be keynote addresses by the leadership of the country including: His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana, Prime Minister Mark Anthony Phillips, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat.
At the conference we will also hear from senior experts in Guyana’s oil and gas sector, including John Hess, Chief Executive Officer, Hess and Alistair Routledge, President, ExxonMobil Guyana.
Guyana is on a world stage; there is potential to promote and practise sustainable development (Day 3 of IECEG 2023)
The third day of the International Energy Conference and Expo Guyana 2023 began with presentations from the Honourable, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Anthony Phillips, Prime Minister of Guyana; the Honourable Dr. Ashni K. Singh, Minister of Finance (Guyana); Professor Harrie Vrendenberg from the University of Calgary (virtual); Dr. Mahender Sharma, CEO of the Guyana Energy Agency; and Isaac Solomon, Vice President of the Caribbean Development Bank.
The Prime Minister of Guyana started with a recap of the week’s discussions before elaborating on the areas of growth that Guyana has seen in a socioeconomic and financial context for the past few years. He stated that the non-oil sector has increased by 11.5%, and that the oil revenue has increased Guyana’s GDP by 6.2%. The Prime Minister stated that the demand for energy on a national and global level will increase and double in forthcoming decades, and as such, Guyana needs to balance that demand through the use of flexible and reliable energy sources. He mentioned that there is a governmental goal to reduce the cost of electricity in Guyana by 50%, and this is being done through the employment of hydropower, solar and wind energy sources throughout the country. The Prime Minister then recapped most of the initiatives that have been taken to work towards a more sustainable Guyana.
Minister Ashni Singh offered a very thorough statistical recap of Guyana’s economic state, with a few comments on factors that would have impacted Guyana’s economic state, such as COVID19 and the Russian war on Ukraine. He stated that there is an overdependence on particular economic sectors, and thus is it of high importance for the country to continue achieving a strong non-oil economic growth. The Minister also proudly stated that over the past three years, the Guyanese economy has tripled in size. Guyana was also said to hold the third largest reserves in Latin America and the Caribbean. Minister Singh explained the function of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF); where all revenue earned from this sector can be deposited and only withdrawn in accordance with a transparent formula that is easy to interpret and free of political discretion or judgement.
Professor Harrie Vredenberg joined the conference virtually and shared his presentation on the topic of energy transition. He discussed areas such as climate change, the perspectives of environmental activists, and steps that a nation making an energy transition should consider. The professor concluded his presentation by discussing a documentary film that he has produced on energy transition in the Caribbean islands of Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago.
Dr. Sharma from the Guyana Energy Agency provided a summary of the completed projects that the agency has worked on and those that are currently in the works, specifically the ones located in Region 9. There is a goal to make that area a renewable energy hub.
Isaac Solomon of the Caribbean Development Bank spoke of sustainability and the “resilience” required to boost the economies of Caribbean countries who produce renewable energy. He mentioned that energy security is currently a top priority, and that the main focus on the CDB’s energy sector strategy is to support the increased scale and pace of the transition across all member countries.
The fourth day of the Conference will be focused on the Youth Engagement Forum.
Preliminary works start for Gas to Power Project in Guyana ahead of FID
President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge told a news conference yesterday that preliminary works have begun along the route of the pipeline in the West Bank Demerara.
The Gas to Power project involves the construction of a 300mw combined cycle power plant and a natural gas to liquids facility.
Routledge said that in order to ensure the gas-to-energy plant begins electricity generation in 2024, the company has been pushing ahead with “early works”. Such effort includes the construction of roads, bridges and laydown areas on the West Bank Demerara.
The Guyana government has already contracted an American joint venture, CH/LindsayCA, to build the natural gas-fired electricity plant and the natural gas liquids plant for US$759 million.
Exxon and the Ministry of Natural Resources are currently engaged in a review of the Field Development Plan and the update to the licence for the Liza field. Routledge said that once this step was completed, the company would be able to make the final investment decision (FID) around requirements for the project to proceed.
As part of the project, Exxon would be selling the 50 million cubic feet of natural gas per day to the government entity for use at the electricity generation and natural gas liquids plants.
Furthermore, construction of a 200 kilometre long gas pipeline to bring the gas to shore will commence at a cost of approximately US$1b. Mr. Routledge said that gas sales will cover the cost of the infrastructure without profit, which means that it can deliver gas at a very low price to the country.
This falls in line with the government commitment amidst the energy boom to ensure the creation of prosperity (as outlined in the recent Energy Perspectives podcast featuring Dr. Peter Ramsaroop). Mr. Routledge further added that electricity produced by natural gas would cost 50 percent less than current fuels.
In November 2022, the Guyanese government green lit the project and at the time, President of Guyana, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali made it clear that the offshore gas drilling taking place at breakneck pace must benefit the Guyanese people as a whole and not just those connected to the business. This project, while stabilizing energy distribution in the region, will lead to lower energy costs, significantly while maximizing the use of by-products from drilling.
ExxonMobil Guyana renews sponsorship of Energy Conference for second edition in 2023
ExxonMobil Guyana renews sponsorship of Energy Conference for second edition in 2023
– Government welcomes the International Energy Conference and Expo 2023” says Natural Resources Minister
The International Energy Conference and Expo Guyana 2023 (IECEG 2023) today announced ExxonMobil Guyana as the premier sponsor of the second edition of the Conference & Expo.
Commenting on the sponsorship, President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge said, “The event’s theme, ‘Harnessing Energy for Development’, aligns with our commitment to sustainably produce energy and products to meet society’s needs in a manner that protects people, the environment and communities where we operate.”
Routledge added, “Guyana is a thought-leader on low carbon development with an ambitious strategy to secure growth and prosperity for current and future generations. These credentials, I believe, put Guyana in the driver’s seat on energy issues regionally if not globally, and the International Energy Conference is an ideal platform to learn of developments and engage in the debate. ExxonMobil Guyana is proud to be associated with this event and is excited to be part of the transformational journey taking place in Guyana.”
The Conference, which is expected to assemble policymakers, academics, industry professionals and entrepreneurs from around the world, will again see the participation of Heads of State and Government, and global energy thought-leaders, most notably, Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, world-renowned economics professor, bestselling author, innovative educator, and global leader in sustainable development.
In acknowledging the sponsorship from ExxonMobil Guyana, Kurt Baboolall, Chief Executive Officer of the International Energy Conference and Expo Guyana said, “We are grateful for the sponsors and exhibitors who are committing resources to supporting the conference and driving the energy conversation.”
Baboolall added, “ExxonMobil, as is demonstrated in Guyana, is an unparalleled leader in energy development today and remains committed to meeting current and future needs for development. The rapid development of energy resources being undertaken by ExxonMobil Guyana has positioned Guyana in the middle of the current global discussions.”
At full capacity, this year’s conference will feature 35 sponsors, 300 exhibitors, and 1200 delegates. Over 60% of all places have been taken and the remaining openings have become extremely competitive to secure.
Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Vickram Bharrat, who attended the announcement, signalled Government’s continued support of the Conference and Expo saying that “The Government welcomes the International Energy Conference and Expo 2023, this is the second energy expo in Guyana showcasing the opportunities and what Guyana has to offer to the world. Guyana of course is one of the newest oil producing countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region, and we have been moving at an unprecedented rate in developing our oil and gas sector and at the same time we have been incentivizing and working towards developing the traditional non-oil sectors.”
Minister Bharrat further explained, “[The IECEG] It’s not just about showcasing Guyana as an oil producing country but showcasing Guyana as an investment destination, a land that offers many opportunities across all sectors.”
The Conference and Expo is now entering its second year under the theme ‘Harnessing Energy for Development’ and will be held from February 14-17, 2023 at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, Georgetown, Guyana.
The registration portal for the conference and expo can be found on the conference website, www.guyanaenergy.gy. Pre-registration is now open for sponsors, exhibitors, in-person attendees, virtual attendees, workshop participants, and members of the media, all being done online.
VSH United (Guyana) Inc was established on May 2015 in Georgetown, Guyana. Specialises in safety products, logistic services, real estate. They are also the sole distributors for Ansell and HexAmour.
SBM Offshore has announced that it has completed the project financing of FPSO ONE GUYANA for a total of US$1.75 billion., 
The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), operating under the Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce is a semi-autonomous governmental organization responsible for standards and quality in Guyana. There role is to:
