Gas to Energy Project: Region Three residents benefit from mini expo

Persons residing in Region Three were given the opportunity to gain valuable information on the new gas-to-energy project on Friday, following an exhibition on the natural gas initiative at the West Demerara Secondary School.

The forum allowed adults and students to become familiar with the technical aspects of the upcoming project, its operations, and its benefits to Guyana. It was hosted by oil and gas giant, ExxonMobil.

First-form student, Daustan Gouveia was among several students that described the initiative as educational and exciting.

“I was really interested in what Exxon is doing for Guyana and I wanted to learn more about it. I learned that Exxon is really trying to help Guyana as a growing country, and there is a lot of work to be done,” Gouveia told the media.

Second-form student, Cadehia Williams expressed “I am learning about the project location, and it’s starting from the seawalls, going 20 feet down, and it is ending at Wales.”

Williams was excited to know that young people will benefit from the project and is happy with the information received.

“It is really educational, and persons can learn a lot from seeing everything here,” she added.

While some expressed their desire to pursue employment within the oil and gas industry, others shared their appreciation for the opportunity to gain an understanding about the transformational project.

Meanwhile, the Project Manager of the Guyana Gas to Energy Project, Friedrich Krispin explained that ExxonMobil regularly meets with local democratic organs to ensure persons are kept abreast of the plans and opportunities associated with the project.

He said it is important for the oil company to ensure communities around the areas where it operates understand the project.

‘We need to make sure that they understand the benefits as well as the impact on their communities. We provide these types of forums so that the communities have a chance to understand how they can be a part of it…how to be able to get jobs with the contractors that we are bringing in, and very importantly also, it will start that conversation that will allow the communities, in the future, to be able to feel very comfortable with living in an area where a gas pipeline is running through the fields of that area,” Krispin explained.

West Demerara Secondary School’s Headmaster, Harry Narine shared similar sentiments with the project manager, noting that the multimillion undertaking will transform many lives.

The gas-to-energy project consists of bringing natural gas from the offshore fields discovered by ExxonMobil within the Stabroek Block, to generate electricity for Guyana.