The Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore petroleum board (C-NLOPB) has given its commitment to working with the authorities here if oil and gas exploration prospects are realized in the future.
Yesterday stakeholders from various sector agencies were exposed to the expertise of the C-NLOPB at a half-day workshop at the Pegasus Hotel in the city.
Chairman and CEO of the petroleum board, Max Ruelokke, told this newspaper yesterday that the organisation which acts as a watchdog for that country’s oil and gas sector, believe that there is a good knowledge base and institutional organisation of the local regulatory bodies which overlook the sector.
He said while he has not been able to interact with the key players of the local organisations, he was impressed with he has learnt so far about the regulatory bodies.
He said the C-NLOPB was expected to meet President Bharrat Jagdeo and other government officials relevant to the sector.
According to him the organisation is ready to provide support and advice as necessary to the government as regards management of the sector.
This can be fulfilled via an exchange of training programmes, where persons can travel to Canada from Guyana or conversely the petroleum body would be able to send an expert to work with the government and provide relevant support.
Ruelokke said the prospects of the sector here appear bright, as he has seen results of United States sanction geological surveys which indicate that in the Suriname/ Guyana basin there might be some 40 trillion cubic feet of gas as well as 15 billion barrels of oil, a figure which he noted is much higher than Canada’s petroleum industry.
He said C-NLOPB is a member of a body called the International Regulatory Forum (IRF) , which works closely with members on projects within the sector and according to him the body has had considerable experience working with the sector agencies in countries across the world.
Yesterday’s workshop was organised by the Canadian High Commission and it was aimed at providing the local regulatory agencies, including the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) and the Environ-mental Protection Agency (EPA) with first-hand knowledge of how the C-NLOPB manages the petroleum sector in Canada.
Participants were exposed to studies and findings undertaken by the petroleum board, its overall management of the sector including areas of safety, environmental and re-source management.
