Exxon refuses to provide info to MPs on debt to be repaid by Guyana

Jul 14, 2018 News

By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell
The debt ExxonMobil incurs to access the oil found offshore Guyana will have to be repaid by Guyana at some point. Because of this, Chairman of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources, Odinga Lumumba, thinks that Guyana has a right to know how every cent is spent by the company.
More specifically, Lumumba wants to ensure that ExxonMobil is being economical in its current development of Liza Phase 1.
To satisfy him and other committee members, Lumumba asked ExxonMobil’s Country Manager, Rod Henson, to provide the committee with a list of all the international companies currently employed for the Liza project.
Lumumba said, “We would like to see a list of nationality of the contractors, type of business whether it is servicing, drilling or maintenance. Is it possible? Is that confidential or can the committee have access to that information? I think it should be public information.”
Henson’s body language in response to the question told a thousand words. He stretched both arms open, leaned forward and asked, “I do not understand. Do all private companies submit lists? (like the one requested.)”
Lumumba responded, “This is of a different nature. It (the list) will give us an opportunity to go beyond the conversation to get clarity as to who is getting what.”
Lumumba continued, “We have to repay this debt and we would like to ensure that the prices for the companies that are working for you are competitive. Therefore, we need to know what contractors you are using; where they are from and the services they are providing.
“It does not make sense your bringing a company from the moon to provide X when it can be done in Guyana or the Caribbean for cheaper; hence we are asking these questions. Do you have a problem giving us this information?”
Henson refused to commit to providing this information.
He said, “I assume you are speaking about issues that would be covered in the local content policy framework. Right now, there is no policy. I think these are important questions. But what we are doing is aligned with that. We need to balance local development with a stable business environment.”

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