Oil production data reportedly under guard of EPA Head – sources

Aug 22, 2022 News

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Kaieteur News – As Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo continues to fail on promises to publish monthly oil production reports; this newspaper has been reliably informed that the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Kemraj Parsram has transported all files regarding petroleum production to his office.

Sources within the agency explained that the entire cabinet- containing information on ExxonMobil and its partners- was shifted to Parsram’s office recently. Jagdeo promised just over 18 months ago that there is no reason for the data to remain hidden and that he would seek to ensure it becomes available. However, no report has been published since then, rather moves have been reportedly made to further guard the data.

This publication was told that the files containing information on the offshore activities have been relocated from the agency’s filing room to Parsram’s office, which means that no officer will be allowed to add or remove a document without the permission of the Chief. Kaieteur News understands that this change has made the employees uncomfortable as they would have to await his permission before making a necessary filing.

More importantly however is the suspicion of the employees that the files contain information that should be hidden from the public. The source said, “This is not how we should be operating. Moving this cabinet to his office means they have something to hide. We know that there should be full transparency. This data belongs to the people.”

The source said this strategic move was to ensure that the data is monitored to prevent it from being shared to the public without authorization of the agency and the government by extension. Efforts to contact Parsram yesterday were futile. Text messages to his cell were also unacknowledged up to press time. The Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat later confirmed that some “environmental” files were relocated to Parsram’s office. He was asked whether he was made aware that a cabinet containing all oil related information was shifted to the Executive Director’s office when explained, “With regards to environmental matters only. I have no knowledge of anything else with regards to that matter.” He declined to say what prompted the relocation of the documents. Bharrat however noted that the oil production reports are published on the Ministry’s website. When the Minister was asked to share a link to the said data, he assured that his staff would do so by today (Monday).

For months, transparency activists have been lobbying for the oil production reports to be made public.

Former Executive Member of the Transparency Institute Guyana Inc (TIGI), Mr. Alfred Bhulai for example has been repeatedly making his views known regarding the hiding of the data. Back in April, he wrote a letter contending, “The farmer must know how much of which crops he reaps, and the shopkeeper how much of which items he sells.”

Bhulai, a former University of Guyana (UG) Lecturer, who holds a degree in Applied Chemistry and Engineering, explained that Guyanese are paying for the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels operating in the Stabroek Block but are completely unaware of what value they are getting for their dollars, as information pertaining to the levels of production among others, are not readily available for public scrutiny. Presently, the public is free to view the revenue accumulated from oil production, through the Ministry of Finance’s website. However, there are no reports on how much of the resource is being removed from below the seafloors, as well as other technical data.

Bhulai has been vocal on several matters pertaining to the environment, but while serving on the watchdog organization, he detailed that a one hour meeting was held with the subsidiary company of ExxonMobil, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), on February 12, 2021, during which the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alistair Routledge pointed out that the company wanted to be transparent.
However, when questions were put to the company, it said that the details would be shared with the government. Unfortunately, after waiting for a full year for those details, Bhulai detailed that his hopes of accessing the same faded.

He said on March 26 last year, after waiting in vain for EEPGL to send the requested recording of the Zoom meeting, TIGI directed questions in writing to the Minister of Natural Resources, which were copied to the EPA. One year later, the advocate said he is yet to receive an answer to his email.
Importantly, he shared that the body was seeking continuous data on production, storage, and offloading of oil and water, and on the reinjection of water and gas, which are the business of the FPSOs, being paid for by Guyana.

Additionally, TIGI was seeking production quantities, since oil, gas and associated substances can endanger the environment for Guyana and the Caribbean, he said, adding that as responsible business owners, we must not only assess the danger but also prepare for it. Similarly, the former EPA head, Dr. Vincent Adams reasoned in a letter earlier this month, that since the EPA seems to be making strides towards becoming transparent, it would be prudent for the agency to provide the Guyanese public with monthly data on the exploitation of its oil resource.

For instance, he noted that monthly reports on the amount of oil produced; the amount of water produced; sea water injected and the total amount of produced water being dumped into the sea should be made public. Further, Dr. Adams said that citizens also deserve to know the amount of gas produced, re-injected and used for other purposes on the two Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) Vessels, currently in operation.

Meanwhile, Jagdeo at a press conference on Friday was again asked about the production reports when he appeared appalled at the fact that these reports are yet to be made public. It was the Kaieteur News boss, Mr. Glenn Lall who followed up with him on his promise made since February 8, 2021, when he said he is not sure why the reports have not been made public. Jagdeo fumbled, “Oh the production reports, yeah they come out, I told them at least every week and stuff like that we can put that (out) that’s not secret data or anything like that so let me find out again.”

 

 

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