Global oil sector majors have arrived in Guyana for the nation’s first major energy conference since the COVID-19 pandemic started just over two years ago. The International Energy Conference and Exhibition which begins today and concludes on Friday, seeks to offer opportunities for companies to increase their presence in Guyana while exchanging ideas and identifying solutions that are critical for the optimisation of the sector.
Notable is that there is representation from Heads of State from three countries namely: Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana; Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of Suriname; and Mia Amor Mottley, QC, MP, Prime Minister of Barbados. The Heads of State are expected to open today’s conference which is slated to be an epic meeting of the global private and public sectors.
Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana, will be providing the keynote address.
Subsequent to President Ali’s speech will be a presentation by the leader of Guyana’s oil sector, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo who is expected to outline the country’s oil and gas policy.
This will be followed by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ExxonMobil, Darren Woods in a featured address to the conference.
Today will also feature virtual presentations from Dr. Jennifer Wilcox, the Acting Assistant Secretary in the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management in the United States Department of Energy; and Dr Daniel Yergin, Vice President at IHS Markit.
Three significant activities on local content also get underway today. Annand Jagesar, the Managing Director at Staatsolie will present on some of Suriname’s local content initiatives. This will be followed by a panel discussion on local content. The speakers for this panel include Deodat Indar, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works; Martin Pertab, Director at the Local Content Secretariat for the Ministry of Natural Resources; Nicolas Sicard, Area Director for Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago at TechnipFMC; Francesco Prazzo, General Manager at SBM Offshore, Guyana; Brent Patterson, Regional Director, Americas, Energy and Projects, Blue Water Shipping; and Paul Cheong, Head of Guyana’s Private Sector Commission. Christopher Chapwanya of OilNOW will be the moderator for this panel.
The first day comes to a close with another panel discussion which focuses on “Skills needed for the progress of the energy industry in Guyana”. Dr. Natasha Gaskin- Peters, Manager at the Centre for Business Development; Maria Claudia Borras, Group Executive Vice-President at Baker Hughes; Brian McShane, Senior Vice President at Intecsea; and Lars Mangal, Chief Executive Officer at Totaltec will be participating in this discussion. Professor Sterling Frost, Professor of Practice and Group Deputy CEO at First Citizens is assigned the task of moderator for this panel.
Tomorrow, February 16, Vice President of Guyana, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo begins the conference with a presentation on Guyana’s approach for a sustainable future. Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat will follow with key updates on the Energy Corridor and Cross Border oil field development and services.
Participants will also be provided with operational updates on day two from Alistair Routledge, President of ExxonMobil Guyana; Gabriel De Alba, Chairman of CGX; Ryan Ramjit, Country Manager for Guyana, Repsol and Mitch Jie-A-Looi, Team Lead Geoscience PSC Operations at Staatsolie.
Members of the Diplomatic Community will partake in discussions and make key presentations too. Ambassador Fernando Ponz Canto, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Guyana and Suriname is on the agenda to share perspectives on assets and infrastructure in the energy sector but from the EU’s experience.
Mark Berman, High Commissioner of Canada to Guyana and Suriname; Sarah-Ann Lynch, US Ambassador to Guyana; Fiona Clouder, the United Kingdom’s Regional COP26 Ambassador for Latin America & Caribbean; Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, Indian High Commissioner to Guyana; and Fernando Nogales Alvarez, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago are all expected to participate in a panel discussion on opportunities for cooperation in energy, technology, education, and services.
There will also be key presentations on the second and third days of the conference by Winston Brassington, Head of Guyana’s Gas-to-Energy Task Force. Brassington will be presenting on the US$900M gas project as well as the government’s Amaila Falls Project.
Overall, the conference is expected to see over 500 attendees and 150 exhibitors at the Guyana Marriott Hotel.
