Globally gas prices are an increasing burden to the motoring public however, in Guyana consumers will be seeing a further reduction in the prices at the pump in the near future.

The Guyana government through the Ministry of Finance has effectively reduced the cost of gasoline and diesel from the Guyana Oil Company Limited (GUYOIL) in a bid to bring further relief to consumers across the country.

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Hon. Dr. Ashni Singh announced on behalf of the Government a reduction of gasoline and diesel prices at the pump to be charged by the Guyana Oil Company Ltd (GUYOIL).

The prices at the pump charged by GUYOIL will be reduced as follows: gasoline prices reduced by 20 percent from $269 per litre to $215 per litre; and diesel prices reduced by 15 percent from $265 per litre to $225 per litre. 

According to a press release, the Ministry of Finance indicated that during the first half of 2022, global oil prices surged more than 50 percent, increasing from US$77 per barrel at the end December 2021 to US$120 in June of this year; having risen as high as US$137 per barrel primarily because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The impact of the dramatic increases in oil prices were significant and given the interconnected nature of the global economy, translated into higher cost of landing fuel in Guyana.

The press release states that, to mitigate the impact of rising global fuel prices on domestic consumers and the productive sectors to which fuel is a key input, the Government lowered the Excise Tax rate on both gasoline and diesel from 10 percent to 0 percent in March of this year. It would be recalled that, previously, during the Budget 2022 presentation, the Government lowered the Excise Tax on both gasoline and diesel from 20 percent to 10 percent to minimize the impact of rising global oil prices.

The Government has been progressively lowering the Excise Tax rate on both gasoline and diesel, from 50 percent to 35 percent in February 2021, 35 percent to 20 percent in October 2021, in keeping with Government’s policy to adjust the taxes on fuel, to mitigate the impact of rising fuel prices on the world market.

Since resuming office in August 2020, the PPP/C Government has implemented a suite of measures to ease cost of living pressures and to improve disposable incomes. In an ongoing effort to address these issues head-on and to mitigate the effects of rising prices globally on all Guyanese citizens.

The reduction in excise taxes is one such of several measures implemented by the Government since assuming office.

According to estimates by the WorldBank and International Monetary Fund( IMF), Guyana, one of Latin America’s smallest countries is set to post the world’s highest GDP growth.  For several years, since the production of crude oil begun through Exxon’s Liza development, the country has outpaced global growth averages.

It is projected that at the end of 2023 Guyana’s GDP growth rate will be close to 100% compared with 2021 figures. According to IMF estimates, Guyana will grow 57.8% this year and 25.2% next year, resulting in a GDP increase of around 97.6% in two years. Meanwhile, the World Bank forecasts an increase of 47.9% for 2022 and 34.3% for 2023. This equates to a 98.6% GDP jump over the two-year period.

In comparison the IMF reports the Latin America and Caribbean average is approximately 3.5% in 2022 and 1.7 in 2023.

Bloomberg’s radio show featured an episode titled, “Guyana is the most exciting story in the world oil market”. In the episode, hosts shared the story behind Guyana’s meteoric rise in GDP growth and shared that since 2015 one in every  three barrels of oil discovered has been in Guyana. You can listen to the full episode here.

In the energy industry Guyana continues to be one of the most prolific provinces in the world and the Government in Guyana has consistently reiterated that the people of Guyana must benefit from the hydrocarbon sector. The International Energy Conference and Expo will play part in highlighting these issues. The theme for the conference in 2023 is Harnessing Energy for Development.

The Government of Guyana through the Ministry of  Natural  Resources has announced that BP International Limited has been selected to market Guyana’s share of petroleum from the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels.

The award for the contract comes after the completion of a competitive procurement process launched by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The Ministry opened a Request For Bids from September 16, 2022 to October 11, 2022 after the previous marketing contract with Aramco Trading Limited ended.

According to DPI, fourteen (14) bids were received by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).

The procurement board appointed an Evaluation Committee to review the bids.  After the evaluation, BP International was recommended by the committee. The recommendation was was cleared by NPTAB and received Cabinet’s ‘no objection’.

The duration of this contract will be for twelve (12) months.

The marketer will provide the following services:

• Provide support and guidance to the Government of Guyana in all operating and back-office responsibilities of managing the crude sales and each individual lift whilst facilitating timely and cost-effective crude operations;
• Support the government in the continued introduction of the grade to multiply geographies and refinery systems, and provide benchmark and performance comparisons of prices paid for Guyana’s crude;
• Work closely with the government to understand the behaviour and yields of the Liza blend and how these can affect pricing differentials.

The Guyana Government has indicated that it will continue to employ transparent and international best practices in the management of the nation’s petroleum resources so as to attain maximum returns and advance the livelihoods of all citizens.

Photo credit: www. bp.com