The government is unhappy with the dissenting opinions of some members of the opposition concerning its granting of force majeure extension to the Stabroek Co-Ventures, especially since the previous administration saw it fit to do so because of COVID-19
In a release yesterday, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MoNR) stated that the administration has taken note of public utterances made by Opposition members, Khemraj Ramjattan and David Patteson, and former EPA head, Dr Vincent Adams, and others, regarding the approval of a one-year force majeure extension to the Stabroek Co-Ventures (Co-Vs), specifically for exploration operations under the Petroleum Prospecting Licence for the Stabroek Block. It should be noted, the release pointed out, that no extensions have been provided for production operations under any existing Petroleum Production Licence.
“It appears that the APNU+AFC has conveniently forgotten that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Co-Vs initiated and maintained dialogue with the APNU+AFC government regarding the pandemic’s influence on petroleum operations.” The release also reminded that this very dialogue resulted in the Public Health Order, which specifically categorised petroleum operations as an essential service.
Reference was also made to July 2020, when the then-APNU+AFC government, in response to an application from ExxonMobil, sanctioned a one-year extension for the Petroleum Prospecting Licence covering Stabroek Block. Further, the then-APNU+AFC government also approved one-year extensions for the Canje and Kaieteur Blocks.
According to the release, it is “crucial” to highlight that the 2020 Annual Work Programme and Budget (AWPB) had previously received approval in 2019 during the tenure of the APNU+AFC Government. This extension, it argued, was facilitated during the pandemic’s “nascent stages, a time when its eventual magnitude and repercussions were uncertain.”
The MoNR juxtaposed that APNU+AFC decision with the government’s decision, which was to refrain from endorsing force majeure for both the Canje and Kaieteur Blocks. It added, “Therefore, when the APNU+AFC leadership issued such statements they not only highlighted their duplicitous nature but also exposed the depth to which they would go to misinform the public while at the same displaying their contempt for the development of the oil and gas sector.”
