Oil companies have earned five times more from oil than Guyana

Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Column 132

Modest investment, gargantuan returns

Last week’s column completed the review of the published financial statements of the three companies which signed the 2016 Agreement for the Stabroek Block. Table 1 is a summary of the Income Statements (Profit and Loss Accounts) of the three companies which operate as branches of external companies rather than as incorporated entities with their own share capital and directors. We were fortunate to have been able to access the balance sheet of the CNOOC intermediate parent showing that the Company has only US$200,000 in permanent capital invested in Guyana. But CNOOC, which has a 25% stake in the Block, is no outlier among the three.