Texas investors propose to establish oil refinery in eighteen months

Nov 16, 2018 News

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A team of investors from Texas, USA, yesterday met with important stakeholders from Region Ten in the Regional Development Council boardroom. They are proposing to establish an oil refinery in Linden in the next 18 months.
The meeting was initiated by Regional Chairman, Rennis Morian, who met with the investors in Texas, recently.
“Here we have a team from Texas who with its own oil rig and its own funding, is proposing to set up an oil refinery here. The team was influenced to come to Linden, because two Guyanese in the group said that Linden is the best place!”
Morian said that after meeting with the team there was another meeting with the Department of Energy and the issuing of visas for their visit here was fast tracked.
He however alluded to statements made during the meeting that he considered an “effrontery” to the people of Linden.
“One of the statements according to Morian was ‘This oil belongs to Exxon and why are you coming here to look after oil when the country is going green?’”
Morian added that everything that was said to the investors by the individual with links to Exxon, was to discourage investment.
“So we have on our hands a real battle, because this is what is being done all over the world. These people come in your country and dominate.”
I am calling on us as it relates to the development of this Region, that we have to remain militant and we have to stand together and send a message that this Region is managed by the Chairman and Council with support from the people.”
The Team includes, Quincy Sintin from Ghana. He is a Petroleum Engineer, and CEO of the first African Oil and Gas Company in Ghana,”Lushun Etermit.”
There is also Alfred Fafali Adagbedu, CEO of Seaweld Engineering of Ghana and fifteen other countries; and a Marine Engineer and Entrepreneur and Chemical Engineer Solomon Dadebo. Others on the team include Brentnol Mentore and his wife Sherita, a Lindener; and Shirley Sintin, wife of Quincy Sintin.
Mr Sintin, reflecting on his initial venture into oil and gas, spoke of how major emphasis was placed on training.
“We put together a team of Ghanians and trained them. We started by training different sectors within the industry.
“We started with the Chief who brought about 20 persons and said that they had no experience and I said I have a job for them.”
With six weeks training, he said that they were ready to work.
Sintin said that his team plans to come in (to Linden) and train people in various skills related to the oil and gas sector and to build a refinery.
He said that his team is looking for partners to build an industrial Complex in Guyana.
According to Sintin, his team of consultants possesses over one hundred years of accumulated experience and is prepared to support and deliver excellent results.
Colleague, Alfred Fafali, said that after oil is found the “big boys” come and tell the locals “you don’t know anything and you can’t do anything.”
That strategy is used to justify the bringing of expatriate labour, who are paid huge sums of money, even though locals can do ‘the very basic things’ that they do,” he pointed out.
Fafali detailed that the team has done a lot of training in other countries, and posited that a training Center like the one in Ghana will be replicated here.
Training in the areas of oil and gas is one of the opportunities that should be accessible to all Guyanese, he added.
“In every country you only get what you bargain for, but if you are qualified and you tell them that you can do it, then you’ll be given the opportunity.”Fafali related.
Shelly Sintin, wife of CEO Quincy Sintin declared, “If our people could only understand the wealth that is here in Guyana it will blow your minds!”
Mrs Sintin said that being Guyanese, she felt that it was only right to come to her Homeland, and along with her team help fellow citizens, to take advantage of the opportunities that will become available through oil and gas.
“The reason we are here is to fight for Linden…We will fight for Linden…I’m here to fight with you Guys. We like to train people. If we are to build a refinery here, it’s not just to run a plant it is to run it well… efficiently!”
RDC Councillor, Gordon Callender, applauded the team for coming to Region Ten, and the Regional Chairman for initiating the visit.
Pointing out that Linden possesses a lot of skilled persons, Callender said that there is need for a training school for oil and gas. He expressed the hope that the oil refinery would be established in Linden, Region Ten.
Another suggestion was that some of the training for oil and Gas can be done at the Linden Technical Institute.
Morian said that that was a very powerful input.
CEO Sintin said that his Company will be willing to partner with the Linden Technical Institute.
A Representative of the Board of Directors of the Institution welcomed such an initiative.
Regional Chairman Morian opined that Exxon and Team want to dominate oil…”So we have to remain militant.
“We all have agreed today that we want to see an oil Refinery in this Region and we will work assiduously to ensure that this happens.
Deputy REO, Maylene Stephens, thanked the team for choosing and visiting Linden.

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