Energy Linkup aims at including more Guyanese in oil & gas

…will help generate more opportunities – Canada-Guyana Chamber

Energy Linkup, an initiative aimed at reaching and including wider cross-sections of Guyanese into conversations on the oil and gas sector, has been launched by the Canada/Guyana Chamber of Commerce (CGCC) with the intention of removing as many barriers to entry to the sector for ordinary Guyanese, and generate more job opportunities.
The launching was done during a ceremony at the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) on Wednesday. Dr. Surendra Persaud, a director on the Canada/Guyana Chamber of Commerce Board, which is spearheading the event, explained how the idea was initiated.
According to Persaud, a common encounter the Chamber has had during outreaches around the country was with persons who wanted more information on the oil and gas sector but could not attend other more exclusive events that were held in the city and catered to both local and international attendees.

“We are all aware that we have had a lot of conferences, a lot of events where we are trying to share information. But many of us who have travelled the length and breadth of Guyana (and) spoken to our friends and families recognize that there are gaps; that for the vast majority of Guyanese, there are gaps in our knowledge.
“And we are quite aware that many of these persons are unable to access the conferences we have from time to time, for a variety of reasons: the amount of people who can attend, the price point, etc. So, one of the things the Chamber discussed was having an event that would be targeting the broader Guyanese audience, not changing the topics.”
Persaud made it clear that this will only be the first step in a series of recurring events, and further explained that subsequent events would be increased in scope.
Meanwhile, Charge d’Affaires of the Canadian High Commission, Jake Thomas, welcomed the initiative and noted that Guyana’s oil and gas sector is positioned at the right time for the event.
“There’s a lot to talk about in the energy story, and how Canada can play into it. Canada’s Frontera/CGX partnership just recently announced only the second commercial grade discovery in Guyana’s offshore waters recently. We have so many SMEs working in the energy industry, both offshore and onshore, there’s too many to name, but an example of new generation of power is Canada’s Instream Energy, who is looking to pilot riverine turbine technology, and have recently signed an MOU with Reunion Gold to explore providing power to the future tier one line. That is five million ounces gold in the ground, so Canadian generated energy for Canadian mining company.”
It was meanwhile explained during the briefing that the Energy link up, which will be akin to a conference, will be held from the 21st to 22nd of June, 2024 on the tarmac of the National Cultural Center (NCC).
The Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce is a non-partisan institution that promotes investments and trade between Guyana and Canada. Since the establishment of the chamber two years ago, significant growth has been recorded in trade between the two countries.
For instance, in 2021, merchandise trade totalled Cdn$238.2 million between the two countries. In addition, exports to Guyana for 2021 were valued at $28.6 million, while imports from Guyana were valued at $199.6 million.
In 2022, the value of the bilateral merchandise trade totalled $294.1 million, with imports valued at $241.4 million and exports valued at $52.7 million.