By Kurt Campbell
Amid global action towards a sustainable energy future, Guyana, Suriname and Brazil will pool its gas resources to support effective energy sources to facilitate the development process in the Latin America and Caribbean Region.
Suriname’s Head of State Chandrikapersad Santokhi expressed confidence that this collaborative effort can work as he addressed the opening of the 2022 International Energy Conference being held at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown on Tuesday.
“Our [Suriname’s] sustainable benefits go beyond our borders and see cooperation with Guyana and Brazil,” Santokhi said.
He added: “We have the same goal and commitment to our current and future generations.”
The areas of cooperation between the three South American neighbours include infrastructure, the environment, investment and market expansion.
Santokhi, Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali and Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro met in Paramaribo on January 21, 2022, where these discussions were advanced.
“As responsible leaders, we must look ahead, far ahead and if we do not start now, we will not only be left behind but we will waste opportunities,” the Surinamese Head of State said in an address that preceded that of Dr. Ali and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley.
Santokhi said Guyana and Suriname now have a historic and unique obligation to manage their oil resources well with adherence to internationally recognised and accepted environmental standards.
This should be done while creating a sustainable energy future in keeping with the theme of the four-day conference that has brought together global policy makers, industry practitioners and professors.
To do this, Santokhi observed that enormous investment is needed but it also requires that countries work together.
Both Guyana and Suriname are on a path to development towards a sustainable economy transitioning from carbon-based energy to green energy.
“The question now is how do we make that transition utilising our newfound resources wisely with modern technology to lay a solid foundation or a more diversified economy for generations to come?”
The Surinamese President said apart from the pandemic, global financial risks, climate change and also the looming global instability as a consequence of political conflict will have an impact on energy generation demands, flows and prices.
“It is not only that we must transition from one energy to a cleaner and renewable one but also we must consider how energy itself will transform our lives and economies as we go forward.
“I believe Suriname and Guyana with this new resource can help to mitigate global energy poverty which makes it difficult to develop productive lives,” Santokhi added.
He posited, however, that in charting this transition Guyana and Suriname will recognise others that have gone before and profited from revenues to develop a modern economy and create a future path for economic development where oil and gas will no longer play a significant role.
The Surinamese leader made this statement in the presence of Ghana’s President Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo where their advancement in managing oil is being used as a model in the Caribbean region and by Guyana. particularly.
Santokhi committed Suriname’s efforts to a responsible approach to developing oil and gas resources in an environmentally sound and friendly manner.
