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Lawyer challenges Govt. to come clean on suite of legislation, institutional systems in place for US$2B gas-to-energy project
END THE SILENCE & SECRECY!!!
Kaieteur News – Attorney-at-Law, Elizabeth Deane-Hughes, on behalf of herself and other concerned citizens, is urging the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Administration to cut the arrogance and opacity and submit the US$2B gas-to-energy project to greater scrutiny.
In a letter addressed to President, Dr. Irfaan Ali; Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat; Head of the Gas-to-Energy Taskforce, Winston Brassington; as well as Exxon’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) and its Stabroek Block partners, Hughes said there is much about the project that is yet to be clear.
Her list of almost 30 questions to the officials sought to ascertain for example, under which national legislation and regulatory institutions will the upcoming gas processing sector be regulated. She contended that it is critical that citizens be told of which existing statutory regulations will govern the gas processing industry in Guyana within the proposed Wales Development Zone and environs. The lawyer also demanded answers regarding the existing statutory regulations that will govern the gas pipeline.
The lawyer also called on government authorities to say what international codes and standards would be adopted to ensure the safety of design, manufacturing, construction, commissioning and operation of offshore and onshore pipeline systems.
Significantly, she said Guyanese ought to be told if the government will establish a hydrocarbon pipeline inspectorate before the intended execution of the project to ensure the installation of any proposed pipelines are aligned with national regulations and international standards.
The lawyer also called for the government to say what formula and/or methodology was used to determine costs/debts/loans and ownership arrangements for the pipeline. She said too that the government has a duty to state how soon the public would be able to see the gas sales agreement.
The lawyer reminded the government of its duty to subject itself to public scrutiny, adding that the deafening silence and arrogance to questions from the public is contradictory to the principles that ought to be obtained in a democratic society.
She called on the government to be more transparent and bring much needed clarity to the governance structure for the project.
The Wales GTE project is being developed between the Guyana Government and an ExxonMobil-led consortium. It will see 50 million standard cubic feet of gas being piped from the Stabroek Block to onshore facilities which include a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility to treat and separate the gas and a power plant to generate 300 megawatts of electricity. Exxon’s pipeline so far is expected to cost US$1.3 billion, while the other two aspects to be developed by government are now pegged at US$759M.
Government will be taking a blend of loans, budgetary allocations and other financial streams to pay off for the project.
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- Dr. Irfaan Ali, Elizabeth Deane-Hughes, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), President, Vickram Bharrat, Winston Brassington
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