Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat told Guyana Standard on Thursday that Kevin Ramnarine, former Minister of Energy and Energy Affairs in Trinidad and Tobago, was hired to develop the heavily criticized “discussion paper” for Guyana’s Gas Monetization Strategy. He was paid US$20,000 for this task.
It was on October 30 that the Ministry of Natural Resources announced the commencement of consultations for Guyana’s Gas Monetization Strategy. The ministry had emphasized that the strategy is expected to play a pivotal role in managing the nation’s substantial gas resources, providing a foundational tool for informed decision-making.
With an estimated 17 trillion cubic feet of gas resources, the government wants to monetize these resources, hence the “discussion paper” was created for public review and input. This paper will serve as the basis for finalizing the national gas strategy.
During a press conference today, Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo announced that Minister Vickram Bharrat would address concerns about the strategy in an upcoming press briefing. Acknowledging existing reports about information gaps and technical weaknesses, Jagdeo emphasized the government’s openness to public input. Despite not having detailed involvement in drafting the document, he urged public engagement for refining the discussion paper before finalization.
It’s noteworthy that the document’s creation did not involve bilateral partners with gas production experience, such as Qatar. The government, however, anticipates recommendations from such partners during the ongoing public consultation process which comes to an end on November 14.
