Page 10 - LatAmOil Week 33 2022

LatAmOil GUYANA LatAmOil

Nevertheless, it also asked for additional exam-
ination of ExxonMobil’s planned drilling cam-
paigns. Another EIA is necessary, they said, to
assess the impact of this programme “collec-
tively” on nearby areas.
“Given the increasing drilling activity on the
Stabroek block and its proximity to the Canje
and Kaieteur blocks, along with the number
of wells proposed to be drilled, the EAB has
decided that the operator must conduct an envi-
ronmental impact assessment of the cumulative
impacts of the activities within each project, in
keeping with Section 17 of the Environmental
Protection Act, along with an updated baseline
assessment,” it said.
The EAB also suggested that the EPA con-
sider mandating a management plan for green-
house gases (GHGs) in light of ExxonMobil’s
plans to plug and abandon some of the explo- ExxonMobil wants to drill 12 wells each at Canje and Kaieteur (Image: Westmount)
ration wells at Canje and Kaieteur after drilling.
This component of the drilling programmes new requirement might leave the US giant with
poses “some risks” of GHG leaks and should no choice but to postpone the start date for its
therefore make GHG management plans a con- drilling campaigns at Canje and Kaieteur. The
dition for the issuance of permits, it said. company had been hoping to launch the pro-
As of press time, ExxonMobil had not grammes, which envision the drilling of 12 new
responded publicly to the EPA’s ruling. Oil- wells at each block, in the fourth quarter of this
NOW.gy commented on August 11 that the year. ™

Chemtech awaiting Guyana’s approval

for integrated petrochemical complex

US-BASED Chemtech International has melamine formaldehyde. These five by-prod-
announced plans to set up an integrated hydro- ucts will then be processed to create several
carbon-processing and post-petrochemical final products – namely, NPK (nitrogen, potash
complex in Guyana, thereby establishing itself and potassium) fertiliser, oriented strand board
as a pioneer in that country’s emerging down- (OSB) and sulphur-coated urea (SCU) slow-re-
stream sector. lease fertiliser.
The firm is currently awaiting approval from The project will rely initially on imported
Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency methanol and urea, as relatively little will be
(EPA) to launch the project. It envisions the con- required at the outset. (Both materials will have
struction of a facility on parcels of land covering to be imported in special containers.) Later,
492 acres (1.991 square km) within Plantation though, methanol and urea plants will be built in
York, adding up to an area of 492 acres in two Guyana so that feedstocks can be sourced locally
separate phases. The first of these will involve as demand increases. The gas-to-energy (GTE)
the building of an integrated chemical complex, project is likely to serve as a source of supply.
and the second phase will focus on establishing a Meanwhile, the complex’s manufacturing
port for shipbuilding and repairs. (The latter will complex will consist of separate plants for each
also provide services for onshore and offshore operation. The formalin plant will process meth-
oil and gas industry operations.) anol at an average capacity of 150,000-500,000
The total cost of the initiative is expected to tonnes per day (tpd), with a targeted production
reach $200mn. The costs will be covered by the of 55,000 tonnes per year (tpy).
United Securities Trust of Switzerland. As for the facilities using the output of the
Chemtech’s application to the EPA states that formalin plant, the paraformaldehyde unit will
the post-petrochemical complex will process have a capacity of 10,000 tpy; the veneer board
imported methanol and five of the by-products unit will use formalin and 18,155 cubic metres
resulting from the first round of processing – per year of wood; the OSB will use formalin
namely, formalin, para formaldehyde, phenol while also processing 80,000 cubic metres per
formaldehyde, urea formaldehyde and urea year of wood.

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 33 17•August•2022