— President Ali outlines bold vision to build value chain, monetise gas

WITH a vision to expand Guyana’s oil and gas sector beyond crude production, President Dr Irfaan Ali has said the country could become a major global petrochemical hub once the right investments and opportunities are leveraged.
Speaking at the Berbice Development Summit on Tuesday, held at the Georgetown Marriott, the Head of State outlined several pathways the country could take to monetise its gas reserves, boost value creation, generate jobs, and spur industrial development.
He told a packed conference hall of private sector representatives, investors, and stakeholders that Guyana could extract the highest possible value from every molecule of gas.
“Here, gas fractions are separated and each converted into high-value export products. Methane feeds a blue ammonia–urea–methanol complex, where carbon dioxide from hydrogen production is reused in urea. Then you have a liquefied petroleum gas, propane and butane supply, a mixed-feed steam cracker, and a gas-powered data centre campus, which brings digital export and new technology jobs,” the President explained.
In a second scenario, Dr Ali said the focus would be on achieving “the highest employment and inclusion” — creating the maximum number of jobs and the broadest level of local participation.
“This scenario diversifies across several mid-scale industries within the corridor — gas-powered yeast, fertiliser, steel using gas-based direct reduced iron, cement and glass, aluminium, agro-processing and cold storage, and a digital hub. Scenario three is energy leverage and industrial transformation,” he added.
The President noted that the country also has the option of driving industrial transformation through cheaper and more reliable energy, allowing Guyana to convert its raw materials into value-added finished products.
“The purpose is to use low-cost, reliable gas energy to transform Guyana’s own raw materials into finished goods,” he stated.
“Cheap and stable gas energy drives industries and upgrades domestic resources — cement and lime from limestone, glass and ceramics from sand, aluminium from bauxite, and fertiliser from ethane and captured CO₂.”
Dr Ali said such an approach could further stimulate industries including construction, mining, and agriculture.
He also outlined the potential for a mega-scale development — a single gas complex designed to monetise every gas fraction on one site.
“Methane feeds blue ammonia, urea, and methanol production; a mixed-feed system cracker and PDH unit produce plastics. All CO₂ is reused on-site, and the complex includes its own desalination, water recycling, and export jetty. This project anchors a national petrochemical brand and attracts downstream investors,” the President explained.
He added,
“This is about positioning Guyana as a global petrochemical destination and brand. Every fraction of Guyana’s gas can be transformed into high-value products and jobs. Whether the priority is maximum export value, maximum employment, domestic transformation, or a single mega project — each scenario builds on the same foundation.”
Guyana has now reached a new production milestone of 900,000 barrels of oil per day — an achievement ExxonMobil says comes just months after the successful start-up of Yellowtail, the country’s fourth offshore project, which has already achieved its initial production capacity of 250,000 barrels of oil per day.
Meanwhile, this week the country signed a new Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with a consortium comprising TotalEnergies, QatarEnergy, and PETRONAS for the exploration of Shallow-Water Block S4, marking another major milestone in Guyana’s energy evolution.
The deal includes a US$15 million signing bonus, surpassing the previous US$10 million ceiling for shallow-water blocks.