Compensation with WBD residents addressed by Gas to shore task force, AG

Guyana’s Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, S.C., has assured that the government is advancing its plans to realise the transformative Gas-to-Energy project which is expected to come on stream by late 2024 and will cut Guyana’s energy costs by 50 per cent.

It was revealed that in moves to further the project, Nandlall and a team of other senior government ministers and officials of the gas to shore task force, met with residents of Nouvelle Flanders to Wales in Region three, (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) on Friday. It was disclosed that the meeting sought to discuss compensation for properties in the path of the highly- anticipated project, which will be constructed in the Wales Development Authority district.

AG Nandlall noted that government has already commenced clearing a path for the pipeline from the Atlantic Ocean to Wales. Minister Nandlall said it was therefore important to engage residents.

“The rationale being that the government will ensure that all transactions regarding private properties with their owners would be conducted fairly and with due recognition of the constitutional and propriety interests of those affected,”  Nandlall said in a facebook post. 

He noted further, “I made it clear to the proprietors that the government will be guided by the principles of fairness, transparency, fair market value and compliance with the constitution, and that as far as possible, consensus resolutions will be vigorously pursued.”

The AG explained that a team of lawyers has been retained to negotiate with each property owner or their legal representatives, until an agreement is reached. In addition to monetary compensation, he said the option of land allocation elsewhere will be proposed.

As such, the gas-to-energy project aims to transport sufficient gas from the petroleum operations in the Stabroek block to supply some 200-250 megawatts of energy to the national grid, leading to a significant reduction in electricity costs. It was noted that the natural gas from the Liza development in the Stabroek Block, will serve as the catalyst and transition fuel for Guyana, as the world looks to achieve net-zero by 2050.

Further, ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) has already awarded the US$1.3B contract for the installation of the pipeline back in July of this year.

Additionally, according to the Gas to Power Feasibility Assessment in Guyana Final Report, EEGPL continues to develop the Stabroek oil field block located approximately 190 km offshore Guyana and the gross recoverable resources for the Stabroek Block are now estimated at more than six billion recoverable oil-equivalent barrels.