1 February 2023 – Georgetown, Guyana – This month’s second Guyana Energy Conference & Expo will provide a unique opportunity to forge new business relationships, strategic alliances, and advance a shared vision for the future. Attendees - including country presidents, ministers, CEOs, international company business leaders, ambassadors - will gather to share experience and chart the way forward for their respective countries and organizations - from panels to exhibits to networking.
The first event in 2022 hosted 4 heads of state, multiple company executives, and more than 800 attendees, with this year promising to significantly exceed that. The conference promises to be critical for companies in developing strategies, happening at a time of concern over climate, and demands in Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) across all stakeholders.
Conference website: https://guyanaenergy.gy/
History, Vision, and Pragmatism From 2022 Inform 2023
A keynote address at the first conference from Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo was prescient in showing the significance of this year’s event for local and international businesses. Some key messages from Vice President Jagdeo’s 2022 address follow.
“A crucial part of our sustainability in the future is ensuring we remain a democratic state… We had almost 3 decades of undemocratic rule, and in that period we saw almost half our population fleeing the country. And by the time democracy returned to Guyana we were considered one of the poorest countries in the world. We see a direct link between democracy and development.”
“When a new democracy is born, without an indigenous private sector, and you are trying to move away from the state being dominant in the economic sphere, it is a difficult task.”
“The private sector that you meet in Guyana today is relatively new. It has had just a few decades of development. It is aggressive, we are very pleased with the way they are developing. And that is why sometimes we insist that through the local content legislation and through other measures that we promote partnerships, because it is only through partnerships that our private sector will improve. ….we rely heavily on them to take this country forward.”
“We believe we have a global obligation to play our part on climate change, to play our part in moving the world forward, but in a very practical way, a simple way.”
See VP Jagdeo’s 20 minute address from the 2022 conference on Youtube at https://binged.it/3Doiu6H
Accelerating Local Content
Panels and talks dedicated to local content development highlight its importance at the event. Some of the titles include:
Skills Development and the Future of Work
How Local Content Legislation has Assisted with Enhancing Competitiveness
An Investment Outlook for Guyana
Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy and Initiatives
TOTALTEC CEO Lars Mangal will participate on two panels, one with focus on local content.
Mangal commented, “One of the most significant advances since the previous event is local content legislation, now in place for more than one year. This event provides the opportunity for much more substantive discussions and decisions for businesses - to form partnerships, expand scope, build local capacity.”
Attendees Demonstrate Event Importance
The speakers and panel members from governments at this year’s event are expected to set out the frameworks within which business will be conducted going forward, and include:
Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of the Cooperative Republic of Suriname
Dr. Heith Rowley, Prime Minister, Trinidad and Tobago
Ivan Duque Marquez, Former President of Columbia
Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, Vice President, Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Vickram Bharrat, Minister of Natural Resources, Cooperative Republic of Guyana
The speakers and panel members from the business community at this year’s event reflect the importance of Guyana to their respective organizations' future, and include:
Liam Mallon, President, ExxonMobil Upstream Oil and Gas Company
John Hess, Chief Executive Officer, Hess Corporation
Alistair G. Routledge, President, ExxonMobil Guyana
Rabin Chandarpal, Deputy General Manager, Guyana Shorebase Inc.
Lars Mangal, CEO, TOTALTEC
Orlando Cabrales, CEO, Frontera Energy
Professor Suresh Narine, Chairman, CGX
Liu Xiaoxiang, President, CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Ltd.
Said Mangal, “A number of things make this event unique. The leadership in attendance, and conversation opportunities. It is organized by Guyanese in the interests of all stakeholders - not a ‘hold conferences for money’ company. Energy technology is not significant on the agenda. The focus is on business and capacity development, and as VP Jagdeo highlighted last year, partnerships are key.”
Mangal continued, “Longer term, Guyana needs to look for opportunities for its companies to go international. This will not happen in the mature oil industry. Where there will be opportunities are in the areas of environmental stewardship, responsible development, interdependent with energy businesses. “
About TOTALTEC
TOTALTEC is focused on the success of the energy industry in Guyana for the benefit of the country, its people, and partner companies. It does this through three areas: people, partnerships, and facilities. Qualified and motivated Guyanese develop through the TOTALTEC Academy, where more than 1,200 have been trained. Partnerships prioritize products and services that are starting points to grow from, creating new Guyanese led companies, for example Jaguar Oilfield Services. Facilities include Guyana Shore Base Inc (GYSBI, also a partnership) providing a complete range of services to onshore/offshore operations. The TOTALTEC 94% Guyanese workforce includes 6 nationalities with more than 160 years of international oilfield experience. https://www.totaltec-os.com
In an address at the 2022 Guyana Energy Conference, Guyana Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo provided historical context and a pragmatic vision for the future.
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