In a few years, Guyana will be able to monitor Exxon’s production on its own - Jagdeo

In a few years, Guyana will be able to monitor Exxon’s production on its own – Jagdeo

Jun 28, 2024 News

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

Kaieteur News – Vice President (VP) Jagdeo is confident that Guyana will be able to independently and extensively monitor ExxonMobil’s production real time in a few years, when the government makes all the necessary improvements.

On Thursday, Jagdeo was asked by Kaieteur News whether, “With oil production expected to reach 1M barrels per day by the turn of the decade, are you concerned about the capacity of the government to monitor this increased output, and, what plans does the government have to improve real time monitoring of production by 2030?”

In response, Jagdeo said that it was not a million barrels but rather the government is hoping to meet 1.3M barrels by 2027 and the government is currently undertaking capacity building in several areas.

“We now use some other mechanisms that are useful in the absence of that robust kind of on-site presence in a comprehensive way but those need to be enhanced. So I have no doubt that over the next few years we will substantively increase our capacity to do that to monitor production,” he said.

He continued: “So I explained in the beginning that we have to work at putting the framework in place to regulate this sector, which we have practically done through the implementation of the Petroleum Activities Bill, reform of the NRF, the Local Content Law, the new regulations concerning environmental permits, etc., the flaring, the tax on flaring, a whole range of those issues we have worked on,” Jagdeo said.

The VP highlighted that his government is now placing heavy focus on monitoring, even though Exxon will have a unit at its headquarters that will facilitate real time monitoring of what is going on offshore. He said though the government will have a presence at Exxon’s unit, it will create its own monitoring department.

“We will have a presence there (at Exxon), we would also have our own unit to track what’s going on offshore, we will have strengthened the Bureau of Standards presence there and their sophistication on the rig themselves to measure quantities of oil and the flow and the water capacity, that has been discharged, all of these things,” he added.

Furthermore, the government’s monitoring unit will be able to tell if the discharged water from Exxon is meeting international standards of purification. “All of that would be done as we move forward so we can verify that what they are actually saying is true,” the VP explained.

Last year, Jagdeo told reporters that the government is in talks with entities to utilize satellite technology to be able to monitor activities offshore.

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