Dear editor,

I WISH to share my perspective on the recent signing of the licence for the Payara field offshore development in Guyana and the recent ill-informed utterances by self-proclaimed oil-and- gas  expert GHK Lall as published in the October 04 edition of Stabroek News under the headline, “There are big holes in this Payara deal.”

Editor, I find the noise emanating from Mr. Lall very distasteful, which lacks facts and the technical expertise to validate his points as it relates to the sustainable harvesting of Guyana’s oil and gas. But yet he chose to comment on a topic about which he has no technical knowledge; maybe it was by design to bring attention to himself, albeit misinformation and irresponsible on his behalf. But this has become a trait of Mr. Lall to spread misinformation.

We are all fully aware of the effects of gas-flaring; it must be noted that it is one of the most challenging energy and environmental problems facing the world today. As such, it was recognised by the current Government of Guyana and measures were included in the recent Payara licence but were deliberately ignored by Mr. Lall in his diatribe against the government.

But in the interest of our readers and other interested members of the public, I wish to commend the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Department of Energy for their foresight in insisting that routine flaring is strictly prohibited without approval of the EPA. This means that flaring is allowed under specific operational emergencies.

I believe the Government of Guyana was explicit that flaring to maintain oil production will not be permitted and as such, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) will pay the government for the cost of gas wasted during flaring and will also be subject to fines under the EPA related to emissions from flaring. Further, the EPA is expected to establish a framework for a price on carbon to conform with international standards. To have these safeguards included within the Payara licence is indeed in keeping with internationally acceptable compliance standards.

Therefore, I, amongst other civic-minded Guyanese would like to debunk the false narrative being peddled by Mr. Lall and other so-called oil-and-gas experts who are simply seeking attention. However, if Mr. Lall is seeking to be the hallmark of transparency and accountability, he may choose to respond to allegations of the over $4 billion overdraft at the Guyana Gold Board, for which he was the chairman.

Sincerely,
Erica Smith