The people have a right to question gas-to-shore project

Mar 28, 2021 News

– Jagdeo’s ‘no brainer’ comment is arrogant and insulting – Christopher Ram

Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram.

Kaieteur News – “Disappointing, arrogant and insulting.”
That was how Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram, describes the recent comment made by Vice President (VP), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, that the financial feasibility of Government’s intended multibillion dollar gas-to-shore project is a “no-brainer.”
The project, since being announced by the Irfaan Ali administration has faced its share of criticisms by industry experts despite having strong support from the nation’s leaders.
One such criticism is its economic soundness. That aspect seems not be of much concern for Government as the VP and local oil boss publicly announced that it was a “no-brainer” as the project would significant reduce the cost of power for all Guyanese, in response to the many concerns raised at the way the project was being handled.
Ram, who is also a staunch anti-corruption advocate, stated clearly that Guyanese, as taxpayers and citizens have “every right” to information on projects and expenditure in their name and the Government has a corresponding duty to both consult and inform.
He stated “Emboldened by the mild response to his description of the proposed gas-to-shore project as a “no-brainer,” Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, compounded his statement by referring to the tininess of the brains of persons who dared to raise legitimate questions about a multi-year, multimillion dollar project.”
“The statements by Mr. Jagdeo are more than disappointing. They are insulting; smack of the kind of arrogance which we all hoped had been put behind us, and reminiscent of Joe Harmon,” Ram continued.
Cleaner, cheaper and more reliable electricity are just a few key benefits Guyana can gain from its intended project slated. And considering the fact that Guyana is plagued with frequent blackouts, having a stable power grid would be a refreshing change.
But on the other hand, Ram pointed out that there are several options to meet that demand with a range of market, price, technological, engineering and environmental factors involved: “Natural gas is by all accounts superior to gasoline and diesel, but it is still fossil fuel and still has consequences for the environment,” he said, asking “Is the PPP/C now turning its back on its Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and was that strategy purely transactional, devoid of any genuine commitment to sustainability?”
Ram also pointed to the Government’s “mixed” track record with previous developmental projects including the Amelia Falls Hydro Project, Skeldon Modernization Project and the Del Conte Road Project to advise that the gas-to-shore project be taken up by the Committee of the National Assembly and be open to consultations by all Guyanese.
Government has already identified the former Wales Estate as the location for the onshore infrastructure with a crude estimation for the cost of the project standing between US$500-800 million depending on the design, pipeline size and surveys.
Presently, ExxonMobil is in the process of selecting suitable firms to conduct four studies before moving to the construction phase of the project. Those are an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), a Lidar study, along with Geotechnical and Geophysical studies. The results of those studies are expected to inform the design of the pipeline.

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