Cognizant of the dearth of technical petroleum skills in Guyana, the Energy Department is making every effort to hire competent international professionals to ensure the nation is able to effectively manage the billions of dollars in wealth that is coming its way.
Just recently, Energy Department Head, Dr Mark Bynoe, revealed that in about three weeks, Guyana will have a Commercial Specialist and a Crude Lifting and Marketing Specialist.
The Guyana Standard understands that the Oil and Gas Commercial Specialist will be responsible for handling cost recovery disputes which may arise if and when the authorities challenge costs ExxonMobil and its partners said they incurred on the Stabroek Block.
According to the terms of reference on the website of the Ministry of the Presidency, the consultant is also expected to provide advice and consultation to senior officials of the Department of Energy on matters related to the commercial management of the Petroleum Agreement(s) and associated agreements and to define the process and approach the commercial function the Department should adopt.
With respect to the Crude Lifting and Marketing Specialist, this expert will be responsible for managing the sale of Guyana’s share of the crude in keeping with international standards.
Dr Bynoe said, “One of the things we have to be appreciative of is that there is a process. It requires us going through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) and receiving approval from Cabinet so it takes a while. Additionally, we have to be cognizant of where Guyana is at this time.”
The Energy Department Head added, “And one of the major challenges has been having competent evaluators to assess the tenders we receive. But we are [in the process of] hiring experts.”
Dr Bynoe noted too that the process to hire a legal firm to review Guyana’s oil and gas framework is still in progress.
