-focus is on expertise-sharing, Indian High Commissioner says

INDIA’S High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr Amit Telag, has underscored the evolving nature of energy partnerships between the two nations, highlighting a collaboration that transcends the traditional roles of consumer and producer.

High Commissioner Telag made these remarks during the latest episode of the Energy Perspectives podcast, where he noted that collaboration in this regard is focused on sharing expertise and addressing long-term energy security.

Dr Telag stated that during the recent state visit by Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi just around 10 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed covering areas such as pharmaceuticals, healthcare, security studies, banking and the hydrocarbon sector.

“The agreement we signed in the field of co-operation in hydrocarbons is indicative of the kind of relationship that is developing between our two countries,” Dr Telag stated, adding that energy security was central to the discussions.

With Guyana poised to become one of the world’s largest oil and natural gas producers in the coming years, the nation stands on the brink of economic transformation. India, as one of the fastest-growing economies globally, sees natural synergies with Guyana in the energy sector.

“Guyana is on the cusp of economic transformation and is about to become, by various analyses, the fourth-largest producer of oil and natural gas in the near future,” Dr Telag observed.

As India’s growth rate has been consistent, he indicated that India and Guyana are natural partners in the hydrocarbon sector.

Against this backdrop, he underscored that the co-operation when looking at the energy sector is not only in hydrocarbons, but is happening in very extensive areas which include renewable energy and biofuels among other things.
“It’s a very comprehensive kind of co-operation which covers all the sectors in the oil and gas sectors, whether it is upstream, downstream, mid-stream and we are very keen to share our experiences,” he said.

With this, he noted that energy security is a very broad discipline and is not only about oil and gas.

Dr Telag indicated that discourse is usually focused on Guyana being the producer of the natural gas and India being the consumer; however, he added that co-operation in the energy sector between the two countries has been going on for a very long time.

He reiterated that the collaboration encompasses renewable energy, climate financing and many other areas.

He added that Guyana’s vision for the future and how the country would develop in the future, Dr Telag noted that India sees itself as a partner for Guyana in that direction and added that any research happening in relation to how the different kinds of fuels should be used, futuristic models for that and all these areas are something that the two countries are looking at.

“So, I would say that in the oil and gas sector, it’s not only about consumer and producer, but also sharing our expertise in all the areas we have actually proven based on our co-operation with many other countries,” he affirmed.