The International Energy Conference and Expo 2023 welcomed Guyana Shore Base Inc. (GYSBI) onboard as a gold sponsor of the event, February 14–17, 2023.
Kurt Baboollal, Chief Executive Officer of the International Energy Conference and Expo Guyana 2023 said, “I’d like to extend a warm welcome to GYSBI as a new gold sponsor of the conference and expo. As a Guyanese company, GYSBI is demonstrating leadership in Guyana’s energy industry and will be displaying its extensive service offerings to the Guyanese public at the expo. They have grown and expanded quite largely over the past years, and we are excited to see all that has been taking place.”
GYSBI was formed in 2017 to provide shore base services to ExxonMobil following the discovery of oil. Throughout the past five years, GYSBI has continuously expanded to cater to the needs of the industry. It now serves as the preferred onshore support hub for oil and gas operators in Guyana, providing services ranging from vessel management, waste management, and warehousing solutions to construction and supply chain management.
With immediate water access and four berths, its main port consists of 30 acres of developed land, while its 140-acre industrial estate has been developed to suit a myriad of needs.
Today, the company boasts more than 710 employees, maintaining a minimum of 95 percent Guyanese workers and is a leading developer of local content here in Guyana.
Gomatie Gangadin, Public Relations Manager of GYSBI said, “We are indeed proud to be associated with the International Energy Conference and Expo as it provides the ideal platform, not only to educate and inform everyone of what’s taking place offshore Guyana and within the Oil and Gas Industry, but also the opportunity for local businesses like ourselves, to let industry leaders know how we are supporting these efforts, what services we offer and what areas are available for cooperation and collaboration.”
The Conference and Expo was hosted under the theme ‘Harnessing Energy for Development’ and is expected to assemble Heads of State and Government, policymakers, academics, industry professionals, government officials and global energy thought leaders.
So far, the International Energy Conference and Expo Guyana 2023 has been able to garner support from the Government of Guyana. The event has been able to attract over 30 sponsors and close to 200 exhibitors.
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.
International Energy Conference Guyana 2023 opens with great numbers and regional leadership thoughts
The morning session on Day One of the International Energy Conference Guyana 2023 featured speeches from the former president of Colombia, Mr. Ivan Duque; the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, the Honourable Dr. Keith Rowley; the president of Suriname, His Excellency Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi; the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Honourable Dr. Ralph Gonsalves; and ended with His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali.
Mr. Duque elaborated on the concept of exploiting the richness of the underground to eradicate the poverty above ground. This concept will generate social and economic technological transitions that Guyana will have to make way for in forthcoming years. He stated that a balance between climate action and energy security should exist to see the development of nations such a Colombia and Guyana, where the potential to develop exists. Duque stated that investment in new technologies, understanding the complexities of new kinds of energy can transform Guyana, once considered. “Guyana has the possibility of using the richness of the underground to close the social divide once used intelligently”, said Duque, and praised the existence of the Low Carbon Development Strategy. Mr. Duque stated that ignoring the opportunity to tap into these energy sources will eventually make this energy very costly for both the country and the Caribbean region.
He commented on the vast amount of land space that can be used in Guyana for the opportunity to house equipment to tap into non-conventional renewables, such as solar panels. Duque also called on the consideration of hydrogen as an energy source, alongside oil and gas in a developed Guyana.
“Indigenous communities can help with nature-based solutions…they exercise effective protection of nature”, said Mr. Duque. Future development plans should involve the communities who know the natural environment so that there is little negative impact.
The possibility of food security was also mentioned, as Guyana can be a supplier of food to CARICOM nations in times of crises when there are high prices and high inflation. Mr. Duque concluded by stating that 2030 should see the Low Carbon Development Strategy as a success once it is taken into effect.
His Excellency Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi joined the conference virtually via a prerecorded video. He voiced that solar energy has been key to the modern development of Suriname, and that an existing hydropower plant currently powers about 50% of the country. His speech highlighted many ways in which Suriname and Guyana have similar goals in terms of how energy can develop the nation. Santokhi concluded by stating that his government is committed to harnessing energy for development and committed to fighting climate change with clean energy.
Caricom nation leaders, Prime Ministers Dr. Keith Rowley and Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, of Trinidad & Tobago and St. Vincent & the Grenadines respectively, discussed various statistics related to energy development in the islands, their islands’ developments thus far and what more can be done. There were many agreements with Mr. Duque’s points and the bright future of the Caribbean region once effective strategies are put in place.
His Excellency President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali highlighted climate change, food security, and energy security as the three main challenges that Guyana needs to confront. “Guyana has one of the best environmental credentials in the world”, said the president. He stated that a signed agreement with the United States has been able to catalyze the value of our natural resources. The Low Carbon Development Strategy was said to be an area that the government has enhanced, since the issue of climate change is an area that cannot be ignored. President Ali mentioned that there is an aim to increase the barrels of oil captured per day by over 100 billion. He hopes that Guyana can be self-sufficient in five years and eventually be put in a position to export to neighboring regions. His Excellency mentioned that plans are currently being taken to improve how indigenous communities receive electricity.
Guyana and Suriname World Bank Representative Diletta Doretti To Speak At 2023 Energy Conference
The International Energy Conference and Expo Guyana 2023 is pleased to announce the participation of Diletta Doretti, Resident Representative for Guyana and Suriname at World Bank in Guyana, as a speaker at the second edition of the event in February.
Doretti is responsible for maintaining the day-to-day dialogue and solid partnership around the World Bank’s programs in both countries. Since joining the institution in 2002, Doretti has held various positions at the World Bank, the most recent, being Senior Private Sector Development Specialist for the World Bank West Africa region, based in Mali.
Doretti has strong and diversified World Bank experience in leading teams and in corporate assignments, including country engagements and developing the World Bank’s strategies around the private sector, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Kurt Baboolall, Chief Executive Officer of the International Energy Conference and Expo Guyana 2023, said, “The World Bank representative, Ms Doretti will give all stakeholders present at the conference a glimpse of how the US$44M allocated to Guyana last year will be spent on skills development in the emerging energy sector. We are pleased to welcome Ms Doretti onboard for this year’s conference.”
Doretti is among a number of speakers slated to deliver addresses at the Conference and Expo which include World renowned Professor in economics, Jeffrey D. Sachs, CEO of the Hess Corporation, John Hess. There are a number of Heads of Governments expected to deliver remarks; these are; H.E. Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana, H.E. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of Suriname and Dr. Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
The Conference and Expo this year is being hosted under the theme ‘Harnessing Energy for Development’ and will be held from February 14th-17th, 2023, at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown, Guyana. It is expected to assemble Heads of State, government officials, policymakers, academics, industry professionals, and global energy thought-leaders.
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:
