THE site for the landing of a pipeline onshore to pipe in gas from the oil reservoirs would likely be selected in January, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson said on Thursday, while explaining that several sites in Regions Three, Four and Six are under consideration.

The public infrastructure minister, who was at the time addressing reporters during his ministry’s end-of-year press conference, said a multi-disciplinary team, comprising representatives from the Ministries of Business, Finance and Public Infrastructure, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Go-Invest and the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), have been meeting with their colleagues from ExxonMobil to review the identified sites.
“One of the primary purposes would be conversion of the natural gas to electricity to augment our grids, and you know we have had some challenges in the electricity sectors. The selection should be made in the month of January,” Minister Patterson told reporters.
Land availability, and the impact of the natural gas project on residents and the environment would influence the final site selection for construction of the pipeline to transfer the natural gas from offshore resources, he explained.

“Right now I think we are between Regions Three and Region Four. At the moment, Region Six has still not been eliminated,” he posited, while reassuring that the selection will be made soon.

Once the site is selected, the government will facilitate a number “in-depth technical studies.” The Natural Gas Project is expected to aid in the diversification of the country’s energy sector and simultaneously strengthen the power-generation sector.
In addition to the landing of a pipeline onshore to pipe in gas, the proposal includes the construction of a new power-generating facility, and the design and mapping of an industrial park in proximity to the facility.

Minister Patterson said currently the government is in discussion with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank on studies for accessing the use of this form of energy here. Already, the Government of Japan is on board, conducting studies here on the transfer and use of the natural gas here.

The quantity of natural gas available is between 300 to 500 cubic feet per day, which is more than enough to power a 200-megawatt generator as well as a LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) plant, which can provide more than four times the country’s annual requirement.

During his budget presentation, Minister Patterson noted that the cost of implementing such a project, is “far less in total” than that of the Amaila Falls project, and will deliver power to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and at lower cost.