Major events of Guyana Energy Expo 2022

With just one day to go before Guyana’s third Energy Conference and Expo gets underway, expectations are high.

Guyana is now two years into oil production and with the pandemic threat somewhat diminishing, the “International Energy Conference and Expo Guyana 2022” which begins on Tuesday, February 15^th and continues to February 18^th, is well-timed to assess how far the industry has come and where it should be headed in the next decade.

This is reflected in a packed agenda covering many of the topics debated in the local media, allowing for a fuller understanding of an already complex sector that is new to many Guyanese.

For the big picture, among the speakers on Day One is Dr Daniel Yergin whose Pulitzer Prize-winning book “The Prize, the Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power” is the ultimate chronicle of the oil industry’s over 170 years. For those not familiar with Dr Yergin he is considered the historian of the hydrocarbon era, explaining the overwhelming effect that the pursuit of oil – the lifeblood of the modern global economy – has had on geopolitics and what is the future for this essential commodity in an era of energy transition.

ExxonMobil’s Chairman and CEO Darren Woods is scheduled to speak on the opening day and it will be of interest to hear his thoughts on the prospects for the Guyana Suriname Basin which is increasingly becoming an important part of the company’s portfolio.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo will also outline the government’s approach to the sector, likely reiterating the theme that there is a window of opportunity before full energy transition when Guyana must monetise its resource while also moving to a greener energy mix.

The second half of opening day will see a much-anticipated panel discussion on the burning issue of local content. The panellists include the newly appointed Director of the Local Content Secretariat, Martin Pertab.  This secretariat is an outcome of recently passed local content legislation that looks to set targets for 40 categories of products and services considered deliverable by Guyanese businesses. It is the cornerstone of the government’s approach of building capacity and skills so as to extract additional benefits from the sector outside of revenues.

After this session, there will be a complementary discussion on identifying the skills needed for the progress of the energy industry; Dr. Natasha Gaskin- Peters of the Local Centre for Business Development will be part of that discussion. The Centre has already done yeoman work in the area.

Day Three features Vickram Bharrat, Minister of Natural Resources, discussing the development of an Energy Corridor between Guyana and Suriname that would allow for cross-border oil field services and possibly joint regulation and emergency response.

After operational updates by the local heads of the IOCs in the basin, Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud will talk on opportunities for the diaspora and Winston Brassington, Ministry of Natural Resources Representative will present the Gas to Energy Project Update also considered a transformational initiative to drive electricity prices lower and unleash the manufacturing sector.

Day Three is devoted to the issues surrounding climate change and Guyana’s strategy to move towards renewables. There will be a keynote address by Dr John Murton, U.K. Envoy to COP 26 and then Mr. Brassington will expound on the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project.

Day Four is taken up with B2B meetings where conference participants will be matched with local companies to explore possible partnerships.

Other important activities over the four day period include remarks from the His Excellency Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana; His Excellency Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of Suriname; the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados and the keynote address will be delivered by His Excellency President Irfaan Ali.

With this lineup, the International Energy Conference and Expo Guyana 2022 presents a solid four days of discussion and networking in what is fast becoming the land of many opportunities.