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Wednesday April 28, 2021
JAGDEO ANNOUNCES NEW LANDING SITE FOR GAS-TO-SHORE PROJECT EXXONMOBIL MAKES 19TH DISCOVERY IN GUYANA
GPL WORKERS STAGE PROTEST FOR INCREASED SALARIES AND WAGES
CANU MAKES CORRIVERTON DRUG BUST
Guyana Post Wednedsay April 28, 2021
JAGDEO ANNOUNCES NEW LANDING SITE FOR GAS-TO-SHORE PROJECT
As the People Progressive Party Government seeks to go ahead with the Gas to Shore Project, which is slated to come on stream in 2024. The Government hopes to spend some US$900 Million in four years after completion of the Power Project at Wales This was announced by Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, who with a team of experts, facilitated an insight to the project during a press conference, yesterday. He maintained that Guyana will in the long run save over $150 Million a year on completion of the project, which can be used to repay its cost. The Gas to Shore Project is set to be footed by Exxon Mobil, and based on studies, Guyana is expected to pay that investment in the next five years after completion of the project from cost oil. “If we can save a $150 M a year, in five years, that’s the outer limit, we can pay back for this pipeline. I feel that’s inflated when you go tender because we put a maximum of five years, in savings alone when amortised from savings,” Jagdeo said. Jagdeo explained that this payback will come from cost oil and with that being said a new contract will have
to be re-negotiated for the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). That money will be paid in a timely manner, while reducing the cost of gas and other byproducts. Jagdeo said that Government and its lawyers will be looking to help Guyana come up with terms of agreement, while taking into consideration the renegotiation of the current crude oil agreement and also now adding the payback in the Gas to shore project. “The Legal People are looking at it; they will advise us but there is an agreement between the parties that this suits the country best,” Jagdeo added. With Guyana now paying 10 US cents per kilowatt, according to Mr. Jagdeo studies have shown that the project will see the country paying 3.5 US Cents per kilowatt, once the project is completed. The new Wales Gas to shore the project, which at now at the mapping of 10,000 acres’ area, will feature a Power Plant with 50 Million cubic feet of natural gas that will allow the country to have some 250 Megawatts of power. This project will form part of Government’s Ideal plan to supply the country will 500 Megawatts of power. The other power is
to come from Hydro and another source of power generation. Jagdeo maintained that at the moment the Government is committed to the Power project. It, as the Government now is looking at zoning at the moment to minimized harm, etc. As, Guyana moves ahead with the project more studies are set to be conducted, apart from those done by the Former APNU-AFC. In studies done by the APNU-AFC, Wales turned out to be the best site to land the gas.A 2017 desk study for the APNU+AFC had identified Clonbrook from a number of locations as the best site for landing of gas to a shore facility. It had compared locations at Vreed-enHoop, Kingston, Garden of Eden, and Canefield. Another study, which was examined by the Guyana Power and Light Company, had suggested the landing at Ogle on the East Coast of Demerara while yet another had suggested Crab Island. However, when the PPP/C came into Power Wales had been chosen. However, that came with some backlash as the government is being criticized for moving ahead of the project of such magnitude very fast.
ExxonMobil makes 19th discovery in Guyana
Oil Giant Exxon Mobil Guyana announced this morning that it has made Guyana’s 19th Oil discovery, at Uaru-2 well. The discovery will set to add to the previously announced gross discovered recoverable resource estimate for the block, which is currently estimated to be approximately nine billion oil-equivalent barrels. Exxon explained that when drilling at Uaru-2, it encountered approximately 120 feet (36.7 meters) of highquality oil-bearing reservoirs including newly identified intervals below the original Uaru-1 discovery. That well was drilled in 5,659 feet (1,725 meters) of water and is located approximately 6.8 miles (11 kilometres) south of the Uaru-1 well. “The Uaru-2 discovery enhances our work to optimally sequence development opportunities in the Stabroek Block,” said Mike Cousins, senior vice president of exploration and new ventures at ExxonMobil. “Progressing, our industry-leading investments and wellexecuted exploration plans are vital in order to continue to develop Guyana’s offshore resources that unlock additional value for the people of Guyana and all
stakeholders.” Back in January 2020, ExxonMobil announced that Uaru-1 was the 16th discovery in the Stabroek Block. The well encountered approximately 94 feet (29 meters) of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoir and was drilled in 6,342 feet (1,933 meters) of water. Later in March 2021, ExxonMobil secured a sixth drillship, the Noble Sam Croft, for exploration and evaluation drilling activities offshore Guyana. A fourth project, Yellowtail, has been identified within the block with an anticipated startup in late 2025 pending government approvals and project sanctioning. This project will develop the Yellowtail and Redtail fields, which are located about 19 miles (30 kilometres) southeast of the Liza developments. ExxonMobil anticipates at least six projects online by 2027 and sees potential for up to 10 FPSOs to develop its current recoverable resource balance. The start-up of Liza Phase 2 remains on target for 2022, as the Liza Unity FPSO prepares to sail from Singapore to Guyana later this year. The Unity FPSO has a production capacity of 220,000 barrels of oil per day at peak rates. The hull for the Prosperity FPSO
vessel, the third project at the Payara Field, is complete, and topsides construction activities have commenced in Singapore with a startup target of 2024. These new projects continue to drive investment in the Guyanese economy. More than 2,300 Guyanese are now supporting project activities on and offshore, which reflects a more than 20 percent increase since the end of 2019. ExxonMobil and its key contractors have spent approximately US$388 million with more than 800 local companies since 2015. This latest discovery follows some recent disappointments at Stabroek (Hassa-1), Kaieteur (Tanager-1) and Canje (Bulletwood-1) blocks where drilling operations failed to deliver commercial crude. The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). ExxonMobil affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is the operator and holds 45 percent interest in the Stabroek Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30 percent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds 25 percent interest.
Guyana Post Wednesday April 28, 2021
GPL WORKERS STAGE PROTEST FOR INCREASED SALARIES AND WAGES
After a year of putting forward proposals for the increased wages and salary, workers from the Guyana Power and Light have taken this grievance to the street, by way of protesting outside of the Head Office and calling for Heads to stop dragging their feet on matters. The protest coincided with the workers’ lunch hour. GPL Staff came out in their numbers, armed with placards. They spoke out about what may have transpired over time that has led them to resort to protest action. Last year (2020) a proposal was sent to
Unions for a five percent increase for three years. The company then met with the Union in three meetings. Those negotiations however were placed on hold due to the change of Government, and a new board was installed. With time still going and no word on the increase, the GPL later met with the Unions back in March after a demand was made by the Union for them to meet. According to the General Secretary of the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial, and Industrial Employees
COVID death toll mounts
The Ministry of Health (MOH) regrettably informs that as of April 26, 2021, another person who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has died. This takes the total
number of deaths from the pandemic to 287. The latest fatality is one 46-year-old male from Region 6 (East Berbice-Corentyne) who died while receiving care at our medical facility
(NAACIE), Dawchan Nagasar, who represents the interest of the workers, the union and management had not agreed on two of the 68 clauses in the agreement. This took them to the drawing board again for the across the broad increase and the appraisal increase. “We met back in March of this year, and the new proposal that we are discussing has 68 clauses. We agreed on 66 of those clauses. There are only two claws that are outstanding, that is the cross-the-boarded increase and the appraisal
increase,” Nagasar said Subsequently, this went south yet again. A proposal was then made to the company on the two outstanding clauses. It included a 5-9% increase across the board over the next three years. Since
7% for 2021, and 9% for 2022. Since then the company has said that the management would take it to stakeholders to get involved and respond to us. They haven’t responded to us as yet and the workers are here,” Mr.
blown strike will remain a consideration once no progress is made. The union board will continue to discuss the next move. The workers are also calling on Prime Minister, Mark Phillips,
then nothing has been heard from the GPL management hence the workers decided to take it to the streets. “The Company asked that we do over a proposal on these two clauses. We did that; the letter is dated the 22nd March. We gave it to the company. “The proposal that we did is for a 5% for 2020 across the board,
Nagasar added. With a staff of over 1000 across Guyana, all are involved in the fight for increased salary and wages, and as such, the next move is to have continuous protest until the increase is being made, the union said. A full-blown strike might not be on the table since the staff is essential workers, but a full-
to act, as he is solely in charge of the company. On the other hand, workers are also very skeptical about Mr. Nagasar representing them as he remains a part of the Board of the GPL. Some of the workers think that the negotiations may not go far, as his position remains a conflict of interest.
CANU MAKES CORRIVERTON DRUG BUST
Ranks of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) have made yet another large marijuana discovery, this time in, Kingston, Little India #79 Village, Corriverton.
They also detained a man identified as 41-year-old, Wesley Antonio Barry. In a statement coming from CANU, the ranks conducted a search yesterday afternoon at the
said location. During the search of the building and in the presence of the owner several packages containing what is suspected to be marijuana
were discovered. The drugs weigh over 56 pounds and were placed in 53 packages. Subsequently, the Owner was arrested, as the investigation continues
Guyana Post Tuesday April 27, 2021
Man rapes daughter for seven years, COVID-19 claims 52 lives to date in gets 28 years, 24 lashes
A man who raped his daughter for about seven-and-a-half years was jailed for 28 years and sentenced to 24 strokes of the cane on Monday. The 44-year-old Singapore permanent resident had also molested his daughter’s best friend when he came by to hang out with her. By his own count, the man had raped his daughter, now 13, between 10 and 20 times, and forced her to perform oral sex on him even more times. Both man and daughter cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity. Sentencing the man from the European Union, Justice Mavis Chionh noted four aggravating factors to his offence: the vulnerability of the young victim, the man’s abuse of his position of authority and trust, the premeditation, and grooming of the victim, and that the sex acts were unprotected. “I should add that the tenderness of the victim’s years and the pathos of her vulnerability are obvious from the (statement of facts). At the start …she was a young girl afraid of showering alone. At the tail end, she was by all accounts still a young
girl afraid to return to her room to sleep because she found the sounds of her room fan weird. “The greatest tragedy, in this case, is that she (was) robbed of her childhood innocence by her own father.” She noted that the prosecution told the court that even today, the daughter continues to write letters to her father to tell him that she loves him. “This is the other great tragedy in this case that the victim (was) preyed upon by the person meant to protect her,” she added. As for the mitigation, Justice Chionh took into account the man’s plea of guilt, which spared the victim the trauma of having to testify in court. She did not assign mitigating weight to the man being diagnosed with a pedophilic disorder or that he had no criminal history, given the lengthy period he had been abusing his daughter. His offences were committed from 2011 to 2019. The man earlier pleaded guilty to three charges of statutory rape of his daughter when she was between nine and 11 years old. Another 19 charges of a similar nature, such as sexually assaulting his daughter, showing
her pornography and molesting her friend, were taken into consideration for sentencing. His wife has since divorced him. The man worked as a product manager in Singapore and stayed in a condominium with his wife, their daughter, and her baby brother. The couple, who were married overseas, moved to Singapore in 2008. The man first sexually assaulted his daughter when she was between three and seven years old. After watching a television programme about people drowning while swimming, the girl became afraid of showering alone and took a shower with her father. At that point, the man developed a “sexual desire” to touch the girl. He realised then that he was a pedophile and there was “no turning back”. He continued abusing her for the next seven-and-a-half years, with the sexual assaults increasing in frequency after the family moved houses. He knew that the girl did not like the incidents as she would keep her face turned to the side when they happened, to avoid looking at him. He would go into the girl’s bedroom or ask her to enter his bedroom, before
locking the door and raping or sexually assaulting her. When the girl expressed reluctance, he would say it would only take a few minutes. The girl often felt she could not protest further as the man was her father, whom she should listen to. At times, the man would show her pornographic material from his phone or laptop. One of these was a child having sex with her father. He also molested his daughter’s best friend when the girl went over to play and watch movies. This girl stayed in the same condominium, and her parents regarded the man and his wife as “close friends”. He kissed this girl on the lips and told her to keep it a secret. Once, as the man, his daughter, and her best friend watched a movie in the master bedroom, the man molested both girls at the same time while lying between them. Eventually, this girl stopped going to the daughter’s house. The police eventually learned of the sexual assault after the second victim made a police report about the man’s inappropriate behavior. In June 2019, as the girl’s best friend was preparing to undergo her first communion in her home country, she was asked to confess her sins and revealed the man’s offences. She made a police report upon returning to Singapore. The man was then arrested. When settling the man’s affairs, his wife came across child erotica stories in his email inbox. The man had downloaded and sent these to himself.
April
…4 more deaths, whopping 152 new cases recorded
The Health Ministry on Saturday reported the death toll for the month of April as 48. On Sunday there were two more deaths. Since the pandemic started, Guyana has seen 286 persons succumbing to the virus. From 1760 swabs that were taken for analysis on Saturday, 152 persons tested positive for COVID-19. Now, the total confirmed cases are at 12,600 – 6364 males In the facilities, 16 patients are seeking treatment in the Intensive Care Unit, with 74 in institutional isolation and 11 in institutional quarantine. Another 1529 persons are in home isolation. Guyana has tested 117,000 persons thus far and some 10,702 infected persons have since recovered. New cases were detected across eight administrative regions with three in Region One (Barima-Waini); six in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam); 30 in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara); 83 in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica); three in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); 12 in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); seven in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and eight in Region 10 (Upper
Demerara-Berbice). During an engagement on Saturday, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony reminded Guyanese to take their vaccines as it offers 100 percent protection against coronavirus deaths. Persons were also asked to encourage those within their neighbourhood and various social circles to get immunised. “It would reduce your possibility of getting into the hospital. It would reduce your possibility of getting into the ICU and it would prevent you from dying, which is very important. All the vaccines that are right now in use totally prevent people from dying from COVID. Let us remember that so we can persuade people to take this vaccine,” the health official positioned. He added, “The Government of Guyana has invested a lot of money to ensure that we procure vaccines for every single adult in Guyana… We have tied up some arrangements to ensure that everyone in Guyana would be able to get that COVID-19 vaccine. “That cannot be said for many countries. What we need to do is to ensure that people take the vaccine. It is of absolutely no use if we have these vaccines and we keep them in a room.”
Guyana Post Tuesday April 27, 2021
Mayor Narine requests Human Services Ministry immediate financial accepting WhatsApp calls assistance from Government
as proof of life for old age pensioners
The Georgetown Municipality is suffering under the management of the Government of Guyana, the Municipality is yet to receive its budgetary subventions of $10million for 2020 and $30 million for 2021. Meanwhile, two hundred million dollars is set to be handed by the Government of Guyana to employees working in an unproductive sugar industry. Guyanese heads of organizations, citizens of Georgetown and
across Guyana, and Guyanese within the diaspora all complain of the state of the city, especially where the collection of garbage and the rise in the spread of COVID-19 in the city. The City Markets need to be closed to facilitate deep cleaning for full sanitation to aid in reducing and spreading COVID-19 in and across the city’s shopping areas. The city sprays and fumigates the markets weekly to maintain a healthy environment
COVID death toll mounts
The Ministry of Health (MOH) regrettably informs that as of April 26, 2021, another person who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has died. This takes the total
number of deaths from the pandemic to 287. The latest fatality is one 46-year-old male from Region 6 (East Berbice-Corentyne) who died while receiving care at our medical facility
and prevent the spread of COVID-19. It is now time for a deep cleanse of the Markets as the rise in the infection of COVID-19 and deaths is spiraling out of control. The Markets and the city environment need to be fumigated to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the city. The United States has warned its citizens on travel to Guyana because of the increasing number of COVID-19 infections and deaths.
The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security wishes to advise pensioners who have to provide quarterly Life Certificates to ensure continuous old age pension payments are deposited into their bank accounts can now make a WhatsApp video call to the Ministry to confirm proof of life. Currently, life certificates are signed and stamped by
either a Justice of the Peace, Notary Public, Commissioner of Oaths, Medical Practitioner, Head Teacher, Minister of Religion or a Manager of a Bank or Branch of a Bank and can be dropped off at any of the Ministry’s Offices countrywide or scanned and emailed to pension@mhsss.gov.gy. The Ministry, mindful of the need to be adaptable to this category of our elderly citizens, will
now be facilitating video submissions as proof that they are alive. Pensioners can video call our staff via WhatsApp 6621572 Monday through Thursday – 8:00 am to 4 30 pm and Friday – 8:00 am to 3:30 pm. Additionally, during the call, they would have to clearly show some form of valid identification, albeit National ID or passport.
COVID-19 claims 52 lives to date in April …4 more deaths, whopping 152 new cases recorded
The Health Ministry on Saturday reported the death toll for the month of April as 48. On Sunday there were two more deaths. Since the pandemic started, Guyana has seen 286 persons succumbing to the virus. From 1760 swabs that were taken for analysis on Saturday, 152 persons tested positive for COVID-19. Now, the total confirmed cases are at 12,600 – 6364 males In the facilities, 16 patients are seeking treatment in the Intensive Care Unit, with 74 in institutional isolation and 11 in institutional quarantine. Another 1529
persons are in home isolation. Guyana has tested 117,000 persons thus far and some 10,702 infected persons have since recovered. New cases were detected across eight administrative regions with three in Region One (Barima-Waini); six in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam); 30 in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara); 83 in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica); three in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); 12 in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); seven in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and eight in Region 10 (Upper
Demerara-Berbice). During an engagement on Saturday, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony reminded Guyanese to take their vaccines as it offers 100 percent protection against coronavirus deaths. Persons were also asked to encourage those within their neighbourhood and various social circles to get immunised. “It would reduce your possibility of getting into the hospital. It would reduce your possibility of getting into the ICU and it would prevent you from dying, which is very important. All the vaccines that are right now in use totally prevent people
from dying from COVID. Let us remember that so we can persuade people to take this vaccine,” the health official positioned. He added, “The Government of Guyana has invested a lot of money to ensure that we procure vaccines for every single adult in Guyana… We have tied up some arrangements to ensure that everyone in Guyana would be able to get that COVID-19 vaccine. “That cannot be said for many countries. What we need to do is to ensure that people take the vaccine. It is of absolutely no use if we have these vaccines and we keep them in a room.”
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