Government has admitted that its claimed 14 billion cubic feet (cu ft) flaring quota for ExxonMobil’s Liza-1 project is in fact not in its environmental permit, while the company maintained that it never used the figure to justify its flaring here.
“It is not in the permit. There may have been some misunderstanding or miscommunication but it isn’t in the permit…,” Ministry of Natural Resources Public Relations Officer Stephon Gabriel told Stabroek News.
Following the announcement by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo that government was “hamstrung” in instituting penalties to the company for the large flaring volumes, Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat had last week echoed similar statements as he had told the National Assembly that ExxonMobil was allowed under the former APNU+AFC government to flare 14 billion cu ft of gas.
