The Brazilian Petroleum Corporation (Petrobras) has expressed a keen interest in entering Guyana’s oil and gas sector, according to a release yesterday from the Ministry of the Presidency.
This was conveyed to President David Granger who is currently on a trip to Brazil.
The President said in the release that this is by no means a new offer, since they were engaged with Guyana in the 80s and in the early 2000s.
“Brazil has a well-established petroleum industry, they have experience, they have expertise and Brazil is an important strategic partner, an economic partner and we extended an invitation to them, we extended an invitation to the entire world to examine the prospects of petroleum exploration and production in Guyana and Brazil certainly is one of those and will be welcomed,” Granger said.
He made these remarks following a bilateral meeting with Brazil’s Head of State, President Michel Temer in Brasilia.
Granger said that Guyana’s close proximity to Brazil can be a major advantage when it comes to cooperation in the petroleum sector.
Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, who, along with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge and Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, are currently with the President in Brazil, said that Guyana had given an open invitation to Brazil and moreso, Petrobras and the fact that they have responded favourably is a great sense of reassurance.
“I believe now there’s a sense of confidence in assuring that they can step forward and work with a Government that is willing to embrace them… There’s enough there for Guyana, there’s enough there to share with allies and friends and with Brazil being one of the world’s leading producers and now one of the world’s leading countries and a good friend of Guyana, it’s best friend in this hemisphere, it would be a great plus for the people of Guyana so we look forward to working with Brazil,” Trotman said.
Trotman said that Brazil is interested in helping to develop the Guyana basin offshore. There is, he said, an invitation for them to invest in this country as well as to provide much needed technical support and guidance based on their experience.
“Our next step would be to have their technical people either travel to Georgetown, where it’s more likely to be the best place for us to talk, meet with the technical people of the GGMC [Guyana Geology and Mines Commission], the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of the Presidency,” the Minister said.
Greenidge pointed out that as a result of the threat posed by Venezuela’s unjust claims on Guyana’s territory, many exploration companies were not interested in investing.
However, he said with ExxonMobil working in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone that situation is changing. “Brazil, of course, is our immediate neighbour and with its capacity in oil, and its capacity at Petrobras, is one of the major [player] in terms of deep sea drilling and we have no doubt that they can do the job,” he said.
