President of Guyana Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali said Tuesday that some of the country’s offshore oil blocks have been set aside for state partnerships.
“We’re going to move to the auctioning of some blocks, and we have some blocks that are set aside for what is termed government-to-government partnership. And we’re looking at all our strategic partners with these blocks,” Ali said.
The President made the comment during a joint press conference with the British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller.
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He said that bilateral partnerships of similar nature were discussed with former United Kingdom Prime Minister, Boris Johnson when he went to the UK. But the President did not explicitly say whether the United Kingdom is one such government which will engage Guyana in a partnership for an oil block. However, Ali said he told Johnson that Guyana would like the UK to partner with it to promote its energy security.
With this undisclosed number of blocks set aside for state partnerships, the blocks which remain will be subjected to the auction.
Ali did not elaborate on the nature of the government-to-government partnerships, only adding that Barbados embarked on such an initiative. In time, the President said, he will disclose the role of each partner.
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As for the auction, the government has not disclosed the date of its commencement. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Natural Resources said it is working to finalise the model contract which will apply to the licenses which will be issued.
