Dear Editor,
THE Ministry of Natural Resources wishes to address yet another outrageously deceptive publication by the Kaieteur News. In a piece headlined, “Oil spill will hit Guyana’s shores before capping stack arrives to plug leak,” devious reporting is taken to new heights.

The April 6 article references the Hammerhead Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), stating that an oil spill could reach Region One in as little as a day while the capping stack (an equipment used to cap or plug a well blowout) would take several days to be deployed. Let’s examine the facts. According to the EIA, stochastic models predicted oiling of the Guyana shoreline for the Most Credible and Maximum Worst Case Discharge (WCD) scenarios.

For the June to November season, the Most Credible WCD scenario shows that there is a 5 to 10 percent chance of oil reaching the Region 1 shoreline within 5 to 15 days. For the Maximum WCD scenario, during the December to May season, the model predicted there is a 5 to 70 percent chance of oil reaching the coast of Region One within 1 to 10 days.

Here is the most crucial part of the EIA that Kaieteur News did not publish, “This stochastic modeling does not account for any oil spill response (e.g., aerial, vessel, or subsea dispersant application; offshore containment and recovery; or source control operations), so any preventive measures taken to keep oil from reaching the coast during a response would reduce the potential of shoreline oiling in Guyana below the percentages cited above.”

Citizens should bear in mind that the capping stack is only used when all other well containment methods (such as the preinstalled blowout preventer) fail, and can be deployed to such an incident within 36 hours. Given that this equipment is stored at GYSBI, it can be deployed within a shorter time, depending on the water tide and time of occurrence.

Another critical point of note is that ExxonMobil and its partners have developed a comprehensive Oil Spill Response Plan for Guyana Operations (OSRP) which is further complemented by other embedded controls, mitigation measures and plans that support emergency response preparedness. Within this OSRP are the plans to implement various oil spill response equipment to reduce the potential of shoreline oiling.

The ministry, therefore, refutes the despicable contents of the KNews article, which seeks to misinform the public about the nation’s true capabilities for oil spill or well blowout response. Guyanese are right to perceive the repeatedly jaundiced discourse by Kaieteur News regarding oil spills as part of a plot to create fear about an occurrence that is extremely unlikely, given the government’s ongoing efforts to regulate, monitor, and enhance its capacity in this area.

The ministry will nonetheless continue to do its part to not only provide robust oversight, but also ensure that the public is continuously apprised of the facts regarding the nation’s advancements in the oil and gas sector.

Sincerely,
The Ministry of Natural Resources