Gov’t can’t afford oil refinery – Trotman

Government cannot afford to invest US$5B in an oil refinery here and has ruled out undertaking that initiative but will support independent investors who can.

“We have done some studies on the feasibility of an oil refinery. We have opened that study for public debate and discussions…  Government has concluded that it as a government, cannot spend US$5B dollars in an oil refinery,” Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman yesterday told a private sector summit at the Marriott Hotel.

“We are not in any way dissuading the private sector from taking up the challenge,” he added, while informing that there “is one initiative for a modular refinery, a much smaller one in Region 10.”