Consultations moving swiftly on proposed amendments to electoral laws: Guyana Chronicle  

– Minister Teixeira

THE consultations on the amendments to the Representation of the People Act (ROPA) have commenced and are picking up steam, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. She noted that the process has seen a number of groups and individuals from the diaspora penning letters, sharing their views and offering recommendations to the ministry. “We have seen persons from the diaspora individually writing letters and expressing their views about the amendments,” Minister Teixeira told the Department of Public Information (DPI).

Climate Change impacts could cost oil rich Guyana US$800M: Kaieteur News

—Govt. Report says over 300,000 citizens could be harmed

Since the 1960s, increases in temperature, sea level and extreme rainfall have exposed just how vulnerable Guyana is to climate change. This frightening global phenomenon has resulted in more than US$600M in losses. That figure could however see an alarming spike as two government reports predict that more climate woes of potentially catastrophic proportions lie ahead for the world’s latest oil exploration hotspot.

EPA launches fresh process for new bridge over Demerara: Stabroek News  

-restates opinion that no environment impact survey required

-mangroves expected to be removed

-public has 30 days to lodge appeal again

The EPA yesterday launched a fresh process for the approval of a new bridge over the Demerara River and stuck to its controversial opinion that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is not required even though protected mangroves will have to be removed. Thirty days have now been set aside for the public to appeal the decision. An earlier process for the approval of the new bridge was aborted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the appeals stage after it came in for severe flak from environmentalists and civil society activists for not providing reasons why an EIA was not required.

Former EPA head flags ExxonMobil’s ramped up production: Kaieteur News

—warns of safety breaches, violation of EIA guidelines

Former Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams has flagged ExxonMobil’s increase in production aboard the Liza Destiny vessel without conducting a fresh Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to examine the possible effects of same. He said such a move by the oil giant does not only violate safety standards, but also increases the risk of a potential oil spill. The current EIA states that the Liza Phase One Project would be operated by the Liza Destiny vessel and produce 120,000 barrels of oil per day. This was noted to be the safe limit of production.

EPA reviewing insurance coverage for existing oil & gas projects: Guyana Times

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting a comprehensive review of insurance coverage, or lack thereof, for existing oil and gas projects currently being carried out offshore Guyana. In an interview with this publication, EPA Executive Director Kemraj Parsaram explained that the agency is currently reviewing the protection in place at various oil projects operating offshore Guyana. According to Parsaram, this includes ensuring that individual insurance and parent companies’ guarantees are up to standard and are included in a draft agreement currently being discussed with ExxonMobil.

Exxon among top 3 defaulters on Paris Climate Accord – Intl Report: Kaieteur News

An analysis of the emissions and climate plans of 58 oil and gas giants has found that most are failing to decarbonise in line with climate science, with Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil and Chevron among the worst offenders. This according to a report released yesterday by the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) which is the first to confirm that multiple oil and gas firms are in fact now operating in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C pathway, among them Eni, TotalEnergies and Occidental.

GOAL offering technical training scholarships in oil and gas industry: Stabroek News  

The Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), through a partnership with 3t EnerMerch, will be offering blended technical training scholarships for Guyanese who are interested in pursuing studies in the oil and gas industry. Through the scholarships, GOAL yesterday announced in a press release, training at EnerMerch facilities in Georgetown would be delivered across three stages: Stage 1 – Pre-learning assessment; Stage 2 – Safety Passport; and Stage 3 – Technical Pathway.

Local insurers talk up capacity to provide services for Oil and Gas industry: Kaieteur News

— plan submitted to policymakers

Local insurers have taken umbrage to recent ‘anecdotal’ observations made by a political scientist and Co-Founder of Americas Market Intelligence (AMI), Arthur Deakin, who recently lamented, as unrealistic, some of the requirements being demanded in Guyana’s proposed Local Content Policy for the oil and gas industry, specifically with regard insurance services. Responding to Deakin’s assertions, the Insurance Association of Guyana (IAG) and the Guyana Insurance Brokers’ Association (GIBA)—two representative bodies of the local insurance underwriting and intermediary industries—pointed out with “extreme consternation,” that his critique of the local capacity of the domestic industry, was made despite no consultations with the industry representatives.

Yellowtail could be a scorpion’s tail: Kaieteur News (Editorial)

The public consultation circus orchestrated by PPP leaders under the cover of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with skillful assistance from ringmasters at Exxon, turned out to be a mauling in the instance of the well-named Yellowtail Project. In the case of the President, Vice President, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment (believe it or not), the EPA, without a doubt, all Guyanese of impeccable honour and integrity, some little lions escaped from their cages; they were not Guyanese, but outsiders, as in other minority neighbours, which is how they (we) are made to feel in our own motherlands.

Insurance development in Guyana – startling indeed: Kaieteur News (Letter to the Editor) by GHK Lall

The advertisements, and snippets of information during last week stirred due to one of the relationships noted. It was of a new insurance presence in Guyana, now given fuller news coverage under an article titled, “Guyanese who was awarded Kaieteur Block jumps into insurance industry with TT partner” (KN November 21). Indeed, as I took the time to read through the story, it is more like plunging headlong into the local insurance business… As if to confirm this thrust (preparation and lining up), it also touts itself as being able to “design programmes that cater for protection in the oil and gas sector.” I think that that is utterly lovely, and I am grateful for the full and early disclosure, unlike so many other murky matters here.

Cost of Amaila Falls Hydropower Project – understand and stop fighting one another: Kaieteur News (Letter to the Editor) by Alfred Bhulai

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 most obvious reason for the lack of audits is that there is grand corruption to hide. How else to explain the US$92M discrepancy between what ExxonMobil declared to its shareholders and what was presented to us as pre-contract costs? This is why this and other audits of even more massive sums are imperative. This is why the calculations behind the revelation of the US$0.07737 price of AFHP electrical energy per kWh must be shown. It has four significant figures, so that degree of accuracy must be seen!

Addition of 220,000 bpd next year puts Guyana on OPEC’s radar for global oil supply growth: OilNOW

The latest monthly report of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) states that Russia and the USA are expected to be the main drivers of next year’s oil supply growth, contributing increments of 1.0 mb/d and 0.9 mb/d, respectively, followed by Brazil, Norway, Guyana, and other countries. With respect to world oil supply, the report notes that non-OPEC liquids supply is expected to grow by 0.7 mb/d in 2021, unchanged from last month’s assessment, to average 63.6 mb/d. OilNOW understands that the main drivers of 2021 supply growth continue to be Canada, Russia, China, Norway, Brazil, and Guyana.

Government partners with UK company to offer scholarships to Guyanese for oil and gas: OilNOW

The Government of Guyana announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with United Kingdom-based 3T EnerMech to offer scholarships to Guyanese for technical careers in the oil and gas industry. The training is being done under the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), an initiative the government launched last year to provide 20,000 online scholarships to its citizens. GOAL’s Deputy Director, Ronald Singh told Guyana’s Department of Public Information (DPI) that training will start in 2021, for about 150 persons in the first batch.

Twenty-five more Guyanese hired by country’s largest shore base facility: OilNOW

The Guyana Shore Base Inc. (GYSBI) recently increased its local workforce by 25 following three cross-country events held in October targeting new recruits. Providing a progress update on its career fairs, the company said that the 25 locals were hired to fill the roles of Mechanics, Fuel Bunkering Supervisors, Fuel Bunkering Operators, Equipment Maintenance Technicians, and Operations Assistants. “We are vetting more applications, which were received from the fairs and those persons will be given offers as the opportunities become available,” GYSBI noted in response to questions from OilNOW.

Finance Ministry, EU explore $639M funding to boost economy – News Room Guyana

https://newsroom.gy/2021/11/25/finance-ministry-eu-explore-639m-funding-to-boost-economy/

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