‘We are prepared for any oil spill’
ExxonMobil’s Doug McGhee making a presentation at the Number 66 Fisheries Complex
ExxonMobil’s Doug McGhee making a presentation at the Number 66 Fisheries Complex

–no matter the size, ExxonMobil assures Berbicians

U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil on Thursday assured East Berbicians that they have nothing to fear, as the company is well prepared to take action in the event of an oil spill of any magnitude.

The assurance came from Operations Manager Dough McGhee as he fielded questions from the floor during a meeting hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the Number 66 Fishery on the Corentyne.

Noting that spills are categorised by size, called tiers, McGhee told his rapt audience:

“For Tier One, the spill can be contained on board, since all vessels are equipped with the capabilities to handle small spills.

“For Tier Two, or a large spill, local and regional personnel such as GDF and CDC were, and are being trained to help contain the spill; whereas in the event of a massive spill, a global response would be made, where personnel and equipment would be flown in from across the world on a special 747 plane within 24 hours.”

Part of the gathering at the Public Scoping Meeting hosted in Berbice on Thursday by the EPA

The purpose of the meeting that day was to have a stakeholder input in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the development of Liza Phase 2, so that the proposed recommendations can be included in development of the Terms of Reference (ToR).

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
For Liza Phase 2, the EIA will look at the impact it will have on the environment, and because it is in close proximity to Phase One, it will seek to identify what the cumulative effects of both phases may be. The EIA process will seek to identify mitigation and management measures for those possible effects.

According to the EPA’s Senior Environment Officer Ms Candacy Thompson, as part of the regulatory process Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd submitted an application to the EPA for environmental

authorisation to execute petroleum exploration for a potential Liza Phase 2 development.

She said the potential concept involves a second floating, storage, production and offloading vessel (FPSO), and related subsea equipment, umbilical, risers and flowlines.

The proposed development, Thompson said, is similar to that of Liza Phase 1 but larger, and as such the team has been tasked with looking at all the impacts it will have on the environment.

For the Liza Phase 1, an estimated production capacity of approximately 120,000 barrels of oil per day is projected; however, for Phase 2, that figure is expected to be between 190,000 to 200,000 barrels per day (BPD).

COMPENSATION
Chief among the concerns raised on Thursday, besides disaster preparedness, was the question of compensation, since an oil spill poses not only health risks but serious social and economic effects as well.

Ramlaghan Singh, a farmer, urged that insurance be considered as a requirement prior to drilling, to cover compensation for both fisherfolk and the general public, given that marine life will be disrupted.

On the other hand, Parmeshwar Jainarine, a fisherman, is calling on the EPA to do a bit more research on the matter, since he believes that messing with the sea bed will have an impact on the food that fishes feed on, and ultimately lead to the destruction of the fishing industry.

“I believe not enough study has been done to assess the food chains in terms of the nutrients from the sea that would be in contact with the fishes,” Jainarine said.
“No amount of reassurance from EPA or Exxon can ease our fears; it can and will happen, and we as fishermen will be losers. We depend on this industry for our livelihood,” he added.

Regional Chairman Mr David Armogan used the opportunity to tackle the economic viability of the project, in terms of job-creation for Berbicians specifically, and suggested cooperation between ExxonMobil and the University of Guyana for the introduction of a course on oil and gas, so as to allow locals to tap into the industry.

LOCAL EMPLOYMENT
McGhee responded by assuring the chairman that while the company’s ultimate
goal is to staff its operations with predominantly Guyanese employees, it will, however, take some time, as they will require training.

He said, too, that while in the initial stages, a few Guyanese will be employed in the
technical areas, as time progresses, more and more will be added.

While on the subject of employment, he referred to the 10 University of Guyana engineering undergrads presently undergoing training in Brazil, and the four to five others in training in the United States as part of the Phase One aspect of the project.

He noted, too, that during the preliminary stages, approximately 600 persons will be required, while during the production phase another 150 will be needed, and that the expectation is that those positions will be predominantly filled by Guyanese.

NATURAL GAS
Another issue that was raised on Thursday was the occurrence of natural gas, and how can Guyanese benefit from it. To this, McGhee replied that while some amount of natural gas will be required for the operations, Exxon is working closely with the government to look at the possibility of using the excess for a power project onshore.

Said he: “Based on our findings, 30 to 50 million cubic feet of gas could be brought to shore per day for a power project.

“So we are working with the government on that, and you will hear more on it in the future; we are working to make it economical for both sides.”

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1 thought on “‘We are prepared for any oil spill’”

  1. A 747 will fly in with trained persons. I presume the reporter missed all of the other stuff that would be available in Guyana that won’t fit on that plane. Hope some young Guyanese follows up on the request of the fisherman. The impact on fisheries is unknown and the company has produced no information on this to share. Insurance fund, yes. What they have going for them is no major spill since Valdez, or at least no major reported spill likely because it would be somewhere far from the US. Whatever they are training students for, someone needs to be training for the opposite.

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