New Oil and Gas Operations law coming – Nandlall

As Guyana expands its oil and gas sector, the underpinning legislative framework is expanding too, and the country’s Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC has announced that another crucial law is in the works.

Nandlall said an Oil and Gas Operations Bill is being crafted. That legislation should cover the downstream activities spurred by developments on the natural gas front.

“As you know, we are building that capability; we have a gas-to-shore project that is being completed, hopefully by the end of the year,” the Attorney General highlighted.

Guyana has become a global oil hotspot with more than an estimated 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent resources in the giant Stabroek Block offshore. Though several oil projects are unfolding, recent appraisal work has shown that there are substantial natural gas resources too. Already, about 50 million cubic feet per day (mcf/d) of gas will be supplied to the mega energy project at Wales, West Bank Demerara, which will then generate power.

The government has been aggressively pushing this project, as it will provide cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable energy to Guyana, remedying some of the issues the country has long been beset by. The project will also include a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility that will allow Guyana to produce cooking gas, and other spinoff developments like a fertiliser plant.

Beyond that, the government is pursuing a second gas project in Berbice.

Nandlall said developments in Guyana’s oil and gas sector necessitate legislative advances. A comprehensive Environmental Act is also being drafted, while a Solid and Liquid Waste Management Bill is in the works, too.