Since the multi-million-dollar gas-to-energy project will be the first of its kind in Guyana, there will be heightened expectations related to job opportunities and business benefits, particularly for the community of Region 3 where the project is being rolled out. Assuming the high likelihood that women will not have equal access to project employment opportunities, ExxonMobil Guyana is poised to take certain key steps to ensure Guyanese women are directly targeted for recruitment.
According to the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Exxon’s affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) will develop contract language for pipeline and Natural Gas Liquids Plant contractors, encouraging recruitment and training of women for various Project-related construction roles, as well as advertising the types of goods and services they will procure locally (within the Direct Area of Influence).
“It is anticipated that these mitigations will decrease rates of unhealthy local competition driving up the cost of living, and improve gender disparity during the construction stage,” the EIA states.
Furthermore, EEPGL said it will also proactively communicate the project’s limited direct staffing requirements and the number and types of jobs expected to be contracted during the construction stage.
Overall, EEPGL said the project will result in a plethora of benefits for all Guyanese while being in alignment with the goals of the government’s Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030.
Gas pipeline could deliver huge benefits to hinterland communities, says int’l economist | OilNow
Expounding on this front, EEPGL said the provision of natural gas to the Government of Guyana’s proposed Power Plant, enables improved energy independence for Guyana as well as more reliable and less carbon-intensive power generation (as compared to the current fuel oil-fired power sources). It noted that enhanced electrification at a national scale is typically linked to the overall growth in gross domestic product.
In addition to direct revenue sharing, expenditures, and employment, EEPGL said the project will also likely generate induced economic benefits. These induced benefits could result from the re-investment, hiring, and spending by project-related businesses and/or workers, which in turn benefits other non-project-related businesses and generates more local tax for the government. These beneficial “multiplier” impacts are expected to occur throughout the project life.
