Page 10 - LatAmOil Week 49 2021

LatAmOil GUYANA LatAmOil

Guyana says GTP project has attracted

more than 30 expressions of interest

THE Guyanese government’s request for
expressions of interest (EoIs) in a $900mn gas-
to-power (GTP) project is attracting strong
interest, according to Natural Resources Minis-
ter Vickram Bharrat
In an interview with OilNOW.gy, Bharrat
reported that the EoI had drawn responses from
more than 30 potential investors since July. He
did not name any of the firms that might submit
offers for the contract but said the potential bid-
ders included companies from China, Europe,
the US and nearby countries.
Additionally, he noted that several regional
companies were looking to team up with Guy-
anese firms for the GTP project, which will use
associated gas from oilfields at the offshore The GTP project is likely to carry a price tag of $900mn (Image: ExxonMobil)
Stabroek block, operated by ExxonMobil (US),
to generate electricity. “Some of our locals have GTP scheme, he said. The additional plants
also partnered with some regional actors too on could be built on a modular basis as new off-
their bids,” he stated. shore sources of associated gas become availa-
He went on to say that the Guyanese govern- ble, he explained.
ment was keen to ensure a strong local-content According to previous reports, ExxonMo-
element in the project, which is likely to prove bil’s plans for the GTP project envision the con-
“game-changing for the [Guyanese] economy struction of a pipeline connecting the Stabroek
and the development of our people. offshore block to an onshore processing facil-
Bharrat also defended Georgetown’s move ity near Wales by 2024. The pipe will transfer
to raise the estimated cost of the GTP into the gas from the floating production, storage and
upper end of the originally projected range of off-loading (FPSO) vessels installed at Liza-1
$600-900mn. “There was a lot of talk by the and -2 – and, eventually, Yellowtail – and pump
political opposition about the cost of the project it to the processing plant.
moving from $600mn to $900mn, but the scales This processing plant will be able to process
being looked at are different,” he commented. up to 50mn cubic feet (1.42mn cubic metres) per
On one hand, he explained, Guyana is now day of associated gas from the offshore oilfields.
looking to build a 12-inch (305-mm) pipeline It will separate natural gas liquids (NGLs) out of
from the Stabroek block to shore rather than a the gas, isolating propane, butane and pentane
smaller 8-inch (203-mm) pipeline. This larger from dry gas that can be used to generate elec-
pipe will be able to handle associated gas from tricity at a newbuild 250-MW thermal power
the Yellowtail section of Stabroek as well as the plant (TPP).
Liza-1 and Liza-2 sections, he said. Initially, the gas-processing facility will be
owned by Guyana’s government. Officials in
Wider scope for gas utilisation Georgetown have indicated that they are consid-
On the other hand, he noted, Guyana has also ering other ownership options for the future but
expanded the scope of its plans to utilise associ- have not yet announced a decision on this front.
ated gas. “We are not only putting a power plant The plant will be built on a 40.5-square km
in place but a massive industrial manufactur- site on the west bank of the Demerara river and
ing plant with a port facility. So we are using a is scheduled for completion in 2024, two years
12-inch pipeline with a 250-MW power plant after the Liza-2 field is due to begin production.
and 15 km of pipeline onshore ... and setting up (Liza-1 came online in late 2019.) The project is
industries to feed off of that,” he said. set to create about 600 jobs, most of which will
Meanwhile, he added, officials in George- be temporary positions in the construction field.
town have also received several proposals for Guyanese officials have said they hope the
the construction of fertiliser and petrochemical construction of the pipeline and gas-process-
plants that could use associated gas from off- ing plant will pave the way for a larger-scale gas
shore fields for feedstock. project – namely, the establishment of an indus-
However, the government may build these trial hub similar to Point Lisas in Trinidad and
facilities later rather than include them in the Tobago. ™

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 49 09•December•2021