Black Immigrant Daily News

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has made it clear that the Government will not be selling crude to any refinery with a capacity above the 30,000 barrels per day (bpd), as the Government is currently seeking proposals from interested companies.

During a press briefing on Thursday, Jagdeo explained that the Government does not want the carbon footprint a large refinery would leave. Earlier this year, there were a number of companies that had expressed an interest in building large refineries in Guyana. Jagdeo noted that this is why the Request for Proposals (RFP) that has been issued by the Government, specifies that the proposals must be for a 30,000-bpd refinery.

“We need for national security, a small refinery in the country. So, we’re not looking to become the refinery capital of the Region. So how do we trigger this? We don’t want to own it in Government, but how do we get all these bidders to work together? We’re only selling 30,000 barrels of crude per day to one, the bidder most serious about building the refinery.”

Jagdeo noted that in the Request for Proposals, the Government put out that they would provide the land, and tax concessions and would sell the oil needed for the refinery to operate. He explained that while the company that eventually wins the bid will not be restricted to selling fuel to the Government, in times of crisis the State can exercise its powers to restrict fuel export and make the company sell to them for domestic consumption.

“So, this is for national security purposes, to have energy security at home so we don’t run out of gas or diesel or anything like that here. We’re pursuing this refinery. But not with Government funds. And through an open process,” Jagdeo explained.

“I saw one person say they want to build four refineries. Who is that? I don’t know who would want to build four refineries… it doesn’t make sense. That’s all we’re supporting, a 30,000-barrel-a-day refinery for Guyana. The others, we’re not selling any crude to them.”

Successive Governments have been cautious on the matter of building a refinery in Guyana that is State-owned, resulting in the only takers for this initiative coming from the private sector. The former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government had previously hired a consultant, Pedro Haas, to carry out a feasibility study into constructing an oil refinery.

The results of the study did not favour building a refinery, particularly one with a capacity to produce over 100,000 barrels per day. In his study, Haas looked at the cost of building an oil refinery with a capacity of producing more than 100,000 barrels of oil per day. The study had come up with a US$5 billion price tag in order to construct the refinery in Guyana.

The expert also suggested that as an alternative to the establishment of an oil refinery, the Government could pursue maximising income from commercialising crude oil. Another suggestion was that the Government swap or toll crude oil for products on the global market or create joint ventures with offshore refineries, as well as acquire stock in refining companies.

However, the study was done at a time when oil giant ExxonMobil was the only operator in Guyana’s waters to find oil in commercial quantities. Members of the private sector have previously urged that the construction of a refinery be re-explored when more operators find oil.

Back in August, Jagdeo had hinted that while the Government had received at least eight or nine proposals for big refineries to be set up here, there is a need for at least one small refinery in the country to process the crude for local consumption in order to ensure the country’s energy security in the future.

According to the RFP that was issued, construction on the refinery is expected to begin by the first half of 2023, with the project expected to be completed within two years. The refinery will be located near the Berbice river. The proposals are due next month.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Karim Benzema ne jouera pas lundi en Liga contre le Rayo Vallecano, le Français ressentant encore une gêne après sa blessure à la cuisse gauche, a déclaré dimanche Carlo Ancelotti, son entraîneur au Real Madrid, alors que…

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Karim Benzema ne jouera pas lundi en Liga contre le Rayo Vallecano, le Français ressentant encore une gêne après sa blessure à la cuisse gauche, a déclaré dimanche Carlo Ancelotti, son entraîneur au Real Madrid, alors que…

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Thirty-three of 34 Jamaicans who were allegedly caught fishing illegally in Colombian waters recently, are set to return home next Saturday, November 12.

However, the captain of the vessel has been detained by Colombian authorities, and will face trial in the South American country, according to Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith.

She said the fishing vessel which was involved has also been seized.

Johnson Smith said on Saturday that discussions were under way between the Jamaican and Colombian authorities with a view to repatriating the 34 Jamaicans. She gave the update after first raising the issue in the Senate on Friday during her contribution to the State of the Nation Debate.

She followed up with a statement on Saturday, in which she stated that whereas Jamaica was pushing for the fishermen to return home on Saturday, November 5, the Colombian authorities requested additional time and proposed November 12 instead.

Johnson Smith said the two governments will conduct a joint operation to return the crew of the vessel to Jamaica, which will result in a meeting between the coast guards of both countries for the transfer of the crew at an agreed point on the high seas.

“We are looking forward to the safe return of these Jamaican nationals who understandably want to be back home with their families. As a ministry and with our partners, the Ministry of Agriculture (and Fisheries) and the JDF [Jamaica Defence Force), we will continue to work towards this goal,” said the minister.

She outlined that on October 19, the Foreign Affairs Ministry was informed by the JDF that a Jamaican fishing vessel registered under the name ‘Hope-On’, had been detained in Colombian waters by the Colombian authorities.

Johnson Smith said on October 20, the Foreign Ministry enlisted the assistance of Jamaica’s embassy in Bogota to ascertain details of the incident, to commence the requisite verification of the Jamaican nationality of the crew, and to determine their needs.

She said the Colombians reported that 6,430 kilogrammes of Parrot fish was found in the vessel, and that a total of 41 persons were on board.

The minister said further that on November 2, the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) completed the verification process, indicating that 34 of those on the vessel are Jamaicans, one is Honduran, and six are nationals of the Dominican Republic.

“The owner (of the vessel), who operates a commercial fishing enterprise, advised that he was seeing to the needs of the crew who were not in jail, but living on the vessel. He also indicated that he had retained the services of a lawyer in Colombia, and hoped to secure arrangements to have the vessel released, and (for) the crew to sail it back to Jamaica,” said Johnson Smith.

However, Johnson Smith said in view of the potential risks, along with concerns about the welfare of the Jamaican nationals, the Foreign Ministry enquired of the Colombian authorities whether such a process could be facilitated.

She said it was confirmed that the vessel had been seized and would be sold as provided for in Colombian law, and that while the captain would be detained to face charges in Colombia, the Colombian authorities would transport the other members of the crew to a point that had been agreed with the JDF.

While speaking in the Senate on Friday, Johnson Smith appealed to fisher folks to operate responsibly.

“Owners and fishermen need to recognise that times have changed and countries have changed their laws. Illegal fishing is a major international issue. Vessels are seized and crew are liable to be imprisoned. We are grateful that in this case the whole crew has not been detained,” she said.

“Owners, operators and fishers need to fish responsibly in Jamaican waters. Boat owners also need to insure their vessels, not only for damage, but for loss and seizure and also for the care and protection of their crew,” added Johnson Smith.

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United Nations Expert Olivier De Schutter has indicated that abandoning a ‘charity’ approach to poverty is the only effective way to eradicate it.

De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, was at UN Headquarters recently to present his latest report to the General Assembly.

He told Florence Westergard from UN News’s French Language Unit that in many countries, support for people living in poverty takes the form of ad hoc cash transfer systems to prevent extreme poverty.

Nevertheless, De Schutter observed that these schemes are sometimes temporary.

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“They do not provide people with entitlements they may claim before independent institutions,” the UN Expert observed.

In addition, he said the financing for such schemes is poor, and they usually have insufficient budgets to cover the needs of the entire population.

And he explained that the targetting of the measures is sometimes very poor.

According to the UN official, many people in extreme poverty lack social protection because they face several obstacles.

He said the obstacles included not being on social registries, not being informed about their rights, and being unable to fill out forms online.

“Poverty should be seen as a violation of human rights,” De Schutter declared.

In his regard, he stated that people in poverty should have access to recourse mechanisms if they are excluded from housing, education, and access to jobs on a non-discriminatory basis, or social protection.

However, the UN Expert acknowledged that this is not easy to achieve in most countries.

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