Opinion
Oil and gas conference ducked critical issues, excluded opposition
Letter writer Mr. Hemdutt Kumar gets the award for his befitting portrayal of the recent Energy Conference as “a shrine to greed disguised as progress” and “A government that sells a global illusion while hiding local decay, masters of narrative, and merchants of vanity.” The programme boasted close to 100 speakers including 20 senior Government…
ExxonMobil’s US$100M commitment to Guyana’s STEM education constitutes less than 1% of year 2024 taxes under a more equitable arrangement
A high-calibre delegation from ExxonMobil, led by its Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Darren Woods, is currently visiting Guyana. On the occasion of a welcome dinner for the visiting delegation, hosted by President Irfaan Ali on the evening of the 56th Republic Anniver-sary observance, Mr Woods unveiled a US$100 million programme to advance training in…
Guyana’s income from petroleum management compared with Gulf of Mexico and Pennsylvania
Income from new shallow-water blocks offshore Guyana versus Gulf of Mexico Minister Vickram Bharrat was pleased to remind the National Assembly during the second day of the Budget 2026 debates that Guyana had gained USD 22 million from ‘two recently signed petroleum agreements’ (https://dpi.gov.gy/ppp-cs-transparent-oil-management-sets-guyana-apart-from-coalitions-secretive-record-min-bharrat/). It was not clear from where the Minister found his USD…
Government Signs Secret Deal Extending 2016–2057 Agreement
Every man, woman and child must become oil-minded Part 176On 27th October 2017, a gentleman who I had never met asked, through a third party, to see me. It was unusual but I thought why not. After exchanging brief pleasantries, he disclosed that the 2016 Petroleum Agreement signed by the APNU-led Coalition included a signature…
How can Guyana receive a fair share of revenue from its oil?
The 2016 Stabroek PSA allows the operator, ExxonMobil Guyana Ltd. (EMGL) to deduct massive expenses against current production—including costs from unsuccessful exploration elsewhere (due to lack of ring-fencing). Because the contract permits up to 75% of oil produced, on a monthly basis, to be used to pay off these Recoverable Contract Costs, we show below…
Force majeure, shareholder messaging and a history of accommodation (Part II)
Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Column 175 Today’s column concludes a two-part piece arising from comments made by ExxonMobil’s Chief Executive Officer during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. When Darren Woods spoke of force majeure “pausing the clock,” he was addressing shareholders and the wider investment community, not the…
The Gov’t must clarify Guyana’s position on ExxonMobil’s CEO Woods’ comment about ‘force majeure’
In Guyanese Creolese, the word ‘basiddey’ means ‘being in a state of mental disorientation or confusion, dazed, dumbfounded’. The oil giant ExxonMobil certainly seems to have acquired expertise in sowing a state of ‘basiddey’ in successive governments in Guyana. Relinquishing areas Last year, in early July 2025, the government announced that ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL)…
Why is the full report of the 2022 national census so important?
By Janette Bulkan and John Palmer The information sheet for the US national census and household survey in 2020 states briefly the objectives: ‘The Census provides us with data on the National, State, and Local levels that help define who we are as a nation and the makeup of the people that live in this country. Data…
Force majeure is not a pause button (Part I)
On 31 January 2026, carried a story that exposes how surreptitiously Exxon seeks to draw every drop of blood – sorry, oil – from Guyana. The report once again brings the issue of force majeure sharply into focus. Force majeure is a contractual mechanism intended to grant additional time where performance has been genuinely and…