AN Indian company specialising in oil-and-gas operations is offering its services to companies and organisations in Guyana ahead of first-oil anticipated on or before 2020, according to President of the Region Three Chamber of Commerce, Halim Khan.

This company, Golla Engineering Private Limited, specialises in petroleum refineries, petrochemicals, oil-and-gas processing, pipeLines, power, chemicals and fertilisers, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, offshore structures and platforms, minerals and metallurgicals, cement and steel, amongst others.

The Region Three Chamber official said that the company handles many public and private projects in India that are billion-dollar industries providing services in project management, process design, procurement, fabrication, detailed engineering, construction management, health safety and environment, along with software development.

Further, Khan said Guyana’s current ability to manage the massive amount of oil revenues it will receive needs to be increased before it starts oil production.

He explained that Guyanese at all strata of society must become oil-smart by either positioning themselves to operate effectively within the oil-and-gas industry, or become educated on the developments in the upcoming sector.

Adding that only an educated population would be able to successfully guide the decision-making process, Khan said Guyana needs trained geologists, economists and oil experts.
In giving advice to the youths, the private sector official said Guyana will need major infrastructural investment to support offshore activity and government has proposed a $500-million investment for a processing facility and oil-services base on Crab Island, at the mouth of the Berbice River, and is evaluating development of a deep-water port there.
“New oil-and-gas development has the potential to create many well-paid jobs, but technical training programmes will have to be put in place to provide locals[with] the skills needed to develop and maintain new oil-and-gas facilities,” Khan explained: “It is in these fields the young generation must invest in their education and skillset to be prosperous.”
In addition to the company’s capability, the company has experience and expertise in the following areas: gas-liquid separation, gas-sweetening and removal of sulphur compounds, gas dehydration and hydrates control, mercury removal, gas dew point control, NGL/LPG recovery and fractionation, mercaptans removal by caustic wash, gas compression, crude oil and condensate stabilisation and stripping, crude oil desalting, crude oil pumping, sulphur recovery and removal and sour-water treatment.

A number of companies currently hold petroleum blocks in Guyana. With the world-class Liza discovery in 2015, interest from even more companies, including at least two super-majors, have skyrocketed.

Guyana’s potential rests on the discoveries in the Stabroek Block, located approximately 120 miles off our shores in 5,500 feet of water. First-oil is anticipated in 2020.