Dear Editor,
I read Stabroek News’ editorial of March 1, 2021 with amazement and have to wonder who is or was advising the former Minister of Public Infrastructure on the gas to shore project. As a strong proponent of the gas to shore project, I have complained about the lack of information from both the previous and the present government on this project.
The previous administration never said where they planned to site the gas to shore project and are now criticizing the current government for choosing Wales on the West Bank of Demerara. . However, the former decided to build a new 45 MW Dual-Fuel power plant at Garden of Eden, so one has to wonder where the gas to power that plant was supposed to be coming from? If as they are now suggesting that Berbice is a better location, why didn’t they site the 45 MW Dual-Fuel plant at Canefield, East Berbice? ExxonMobil is on record as recommending Clonbrook on the East Coast as the ideal location for landing the gas pipeline, however they never stated their reason or justification for this site. I would hazard a guess that they chose this site because it is the closest point to the FPSO and it is the closest point to shore from the Demerara River channel.
“(Former Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson) further said that the supply of gas to shore will be interrupted for at least 2 – 3 days per year for routine maintenance of the equipment.” One would hope that the designers of the gas to shore project are competent engineers and would understand the need for redundancy to ensure that the plant does not have to shut down for maintenance. Also, the cogeneration plant would not be designed to operate on Heavy Fuel Oil so there would be need for an alternative source of fuel in the event of a disruption in supply. Gas turbines can operate on LPG and also on associated gases so again, one would expect the designers of the facility would have the competence to make provision for alternative supplies.
Editor, it is my humble opinion that neither the opposition nor the government understand what is required to make the gas to shore project a reality and all they are doing is trying to score brownie points by criticizing one another. The fact of the matter is that Guyana’s industries urgently need cheap electricity to make them competitive with imports and to stave off the Dutch Disease which we all fear. It is incumbent on the current government to share all available information on the gas to shore project with the public so that the people would have the confidence that it is a viable project.
Yours truly,
Tara Singh
