Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman yesterday said that the award of 600 oil blocks to ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), in 1999 was legal and the government would not be clawing back any as it was vital to border security that the US company retain control of the entire stretch.
Addressing the National Assembly’s Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources, Trotman also said it would be the last time he would be answering questions on petroleum issues as he has given up responsibility for the sector.
Trotman’s referencing of border security was the first time since oil was discovered here in 2015 that a senior government official has publicly stated that the award of 600 blocks was a strategic move to blunt any possible aggression from neighbouring Venezuela. The usual maximum number of blocks that should be assigned is 60 and questions have persisted in recent years as to why the 1999 Janet Jagan administration awarded more than 10 times this amount to the US oil giant’s subsidiary.
