Suriname’s Minister of Oil, Gas and Environment, Patrick Brunings, has confirmed that discussions were held with Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali during the Guyana Energy Conference this week regarding potential collaboration between the two countries on gas-to-energy development.
Speaking to OilNOW following his return from the conference, Minister Brunings said, “There were two separate sessions with the President to discuss collaborations between myself and President Ali.”
President Ali has publicly expressed interest in collaboration between Suriname and Guyana on a gas-to-energy development during the conference saying, “On the Berbice gas project, we want to do this with our friends in Suriname. And we are hoping that our friends in Suriname can make a decision to join us by bringing their gas with our gas so we can move from a medium-sized project to a larger scale project for both of our countries and for the region… and those decisions are critical for your future and our future. We want this partnership.”
Responding to questions on whether such discussions took place, Brunings confirmed that bilateral engagement occurred and noted that interest in cooperation predates the conference.
“On the highest level, the interest from both sides have long been acknowledged and reaffirmed last year during the Presidential Top meeting held in Nickerie, where collaboration on various topics were discussed, including explicitly on collaboration when it comes to gas,” he said.
Suriname and Guyana leaders commit to energy cooperation and Corentyne bridge advancement
Both Guyana and Suriname are advancing offshore exploration programs, with significant discoveries reshaping the energy outlook of the Guiana-Suriname Basin. While Guyana is progressing with large-scale oil production and developing its gas-to-energy infrastructure, Suriname is preparing for its first offshore oil development and continues to assess its gas potential.
Brunings indicated that cooperation could allow Suriname to unlock opportunities that might otherwise remain underutilized.
“Such a collaboration could result in monetizing subsurface opportunities which otherwise would be stranded and will lead to additional revenues that can be spent to further develop the country,” he said.
He further explained that Suriname is examining how gas could play a larger role in its energy transition.
“Suriname is looking into how to change the industry into a partially gas-driven industry and, while exploring for gas offshore, Suriname could use gas from Guyana to start up this transition, jump-starting the decarbonization of our economy,” the Minister noted.
He added that such a transition could ultimately contribute to lower energy costs domestically.
“This will ultimately lead to cheaper energy prices which will benefit the Surinamese population,” Brunings said.
While no formal framework has been announced yet, the confirmation of discussions signals that regional energy cooperation remains under active consideration at the ministerial and presidential levels.
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TAGS – Suriname, Guyana, Gas-to-energy, Gas, Minister Patrick Brunings, President Irfaan Ali, Regional Collaboration
