GNBS STANDARDS & SERVICES: STRENGTHENS QUALITY ACROSS THE OIL AND GAS SECTOR AND SUPPORTING INDUSTRIES

Feb 22, 2026 Features / Columnists, News

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(Kaieteur News) – The Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo were held at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown from February 17 to 20. This major event has once again amplified the importance of standards, safety, quality assurance, measurements and certification in supporting Guyana’s rapidly expanding oil and gas sector.

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) plays a crucial role in ensuring those within oil and gas and supporting industries have access to the relevant standards and support services to reduce risks, enhance efficiency and maintain conformance. The Bureau supports both local and international investors by developing national standards, ensuring measurement accuracy, providing reliable testing services and certification to maintain international best practices.

Today, GNBS has several standards which are directly applicable to the oil and gas sector, including a list of American Petroleum Institute (API) Standards. Among them is the GYS 572 – Specification for Natural gas – Quality designation, adopted from the ISO, which provides guidance for evaluating and assessing the physical and chemical properties of natural gas used in various industrial applications. It specifies requirements related to gas composition, including components and trace constituents and addresses sampling procedures, leak detection and more.

Meanwhile, the GYS 574 – Specification for Fuel Oils standard enables petroleum refineries and other chemical processing plants to evaluate and process fuel oils for quality. It covers grades of oil intended for use in different types of fuel oil-burning equipment under various climatic and operating conditions. This document features over fifty internationally recognised sampling and testing methods for the composition and quality characteristics of fuel oils, mainly hydrocarbon.

Beyond oil and gas–specific standards, GNBS also develops and promotes standards for several supporting sectors, including tourism, construction and manufacturing.

In the tourism sector, local restaurants and related establishments can adopt the National Standard GCP 17:2025 – Code of Practice for Quality Management in the Restaurant Service. This standard serves as a vital tool to strengthen management systems in restaurant establishments, improve service delivery and enhance customer satisfaction within Guyana’s growing hospitality sector.

In the construction sector, GNBS standards support quality control, consistency, occupational safety and environmental management by outlining requirements for ensuring quality construction materials. For instance, the Bureau offers testing for blocks measuring four, six, and eight inches in accordance with the National Standard – ‘GYS 215:2024 – Specification for Load Bearing Masonry Concrete Units.’ To ensure durability, these items are tested for compressive strength, moisture content, and absorption.

These standards are especially important as infrastructure development accelerates in response to oil and gas activities. Compliance helps ensure durable construction, improved safety outcomes and long-term sustainability of buildings and facilities.

In addition to standards, GNBS offers a wide range of services that allow businesses to demonstrate compliance with national requirements. These include certification, training, technical assistance and verification services. For instance, certification provides assurance to regulators, partners and consumers that products and services consistently meet established quality benchmarks. This is particularly important for companies operating within, or supplying, the oil and gas sector, where reliability, safety and consistency are critical. It also provides local businesses with an advantage as they provide their products and services to the sector and the wider market.

GNBS’s training programmes are designed to help businesses improve their effectiveness by addressing gaps in management systems and documentation. The Bureau also provides technical assistance aligned with a wide range of internationally recognised standards, supporting businesses in improving operational efficiency, strengthening consumer confidence and achieving long-term sustainability.

Additionally, GNBS offers verification services for weighing and measuring instruments, helping to support fair trade, public health, and safety.

The GNBS will continue to promote national standards across all sectors and deliver essential services to assist local businesses in meeting international quality requirements, thereby positioning Guyanese products and services to compete more effectively on the global market.

GNBS commits to providing and promoting national standards and its services across relevant sectors, helping local businesses meet quality, safety and other requirements in alignment with national and international best practices.

For more information, kindly contact GNBS at 219-0064–66, via WhatsApp: 692-4627, or visit www.gnbsgy.org. 

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• American Petroleum Institute, GNBS, Guyana Energy Conference, Oil and Gas Sector

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