-signals government’s commitment to foreign investment, says Minister Bharrat

SHELL’s customers on the East Bank Demerara corridor are set to benefit from an improved quality of service, following the commissioning of the $344 million Shell Service Station at McDoom.

According to Sol Guyana’s General Manager, Earl Carribon, the company made the major investment in 2021 as part of efforts to improve the image and the services that were being offered at the location for over 12 years.

The multimillion-dollar face lift included the installation of four new stations where eight vehicles can be served at any particular time, as well as the renovation of the gas station’s minimart.

Regional Manager of Sol Suriname and Guyana, Mark Goede, noted that the investment was “timely and necessary” as the company continues to expand its services across Guyana.

He stated that the level of investment not just improves the company’s ability to serve its customers but also adds to the overall aesthetic of the East Bank corridor.

“Sol is committed to contributing to Guyana’s economic growth and servicing its customers in a safe and responsible manner. We will continue to invest in modern gas stations like this one to continue to offer our quality products, latest technical products for convenience and safety for people and the environment,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, in echoing similar sentiments, noted that the recommissioning of the service station adds to government’s agenda of transforming the landscape of the East Bank corridor.

He highlighted that, recently, the East Bank corridor has been home to a number of oil and gas companies, even managing to be labelled the oil and gas corridor for the number of energy companies setting up there.

“East Bank Demerara is establishing itself very quietly as the oil and gas corridor of Guyana. We have seen a number of oil and gas companies coming to the East bank. Just across the road we have Schlumberger, we have Guyana Shore Base, Champion X, we have Halliburton, we have Baker Hughes on the East Bank, Gulf Engineering among many other companies that are already established on the East Bank corridor, along with Shell,” said Minister Bharrat.

The minister also noted that the recommissioning of the service station also signals government’s commitment to foreign investments. He noted that, recently, investors raised concerns over the recently enacted local content legislation.

The Sol Group, a member of the Parkland family, is the leading supplier of petroleum-based products and energy solutions in the Caribbean, as well as Central and South America.

In 2005, Sol acquired Shell’s assets in the Eastern Caribbean, Guyana, Suriname and Belize. Since beginning its operations here, the company has expanded its services and locations to cater to the growing needs of its clientele.

Minister Bharrat opined that, like Shell, international investors have the opportunity to invest and expand across the country. He explained that the local content legislation was created to ensure that, while investors had the opportunity to benefit from the oil and gas sector, Guyanese were not left behind.

“We want Guyanese to be employed, we want Guyanese to be trained to work in these areas, we want Guyanese to enjoy the same rate of pay and benefits as foreign workers, and, it is quite relevant that Guyanese must not be treated as second class citizens of their own country, and that is something that we, as a government, want to prevent while at the same time we encourage foreign investment,” Minster Bharrat said.

Guyana’s local content legislation, which was tabled by Minister Bharrat, and subsequently passed in the National Assembly, seeks to ensure that Guyanese and Guyanese-owned businesses are given preference when it comes to providing goods and services to the major oil companies operating within the country’s borders.

It outlines 40 areas that oil companies and sub-contractors will procure from Guyanese companies and Guyanese nationals by the end of 2022. For instance, by the end of 2022, oil companies and their sub-contractors must ensure that 100 per cent of their ground transportation needs are satisfied by Guyanese entities.

The same percentage applies to the provision of immigration support services, customs brokerage services, and visa and work permit services. Similarly, Guyanese should provide 90 per cent of the office space rental and accommodation services; 90 per cent of janitorial, laundry and catering services; 95 per cent of pest control services; 25 per cent of medical services; 20 per cent of aviation and support services and 75 per cent of the local food supply.