On the heels of President Irfaan Ali’s announcement on Tuesday that the Payara project approval will have to wait on an international oil expert’s assessment and advice, ExxonMobil last night said that delays will reduce the value of the project and that more than a year had already been spent on the process.
In a statement to Stabroek News, ExxonMobil said: “We understand the new government’s desire to satisfy itself the Payara project has been appropriately defined by ExxonMobil and assessed by the relevant regulatory agencies.
“Over a year has been spent on the approval process for Payara. The process has been exceptionally rigorous and the Development Plan and Environmental Impact Assessment are in line with or ahead of industry norms.