Labour Ministry takes “safety first” campaign to Gas-to-Energy project site

As part of its “Putting Safety First” campaign geared towards promoting safer workplaces, the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department of the Labour and Manpower Planning Ministry conducted a visit at the Gas-to-Energy (GtE) Project site.
Located at Wales, West Bank Demerara, the highly anticipated GtE Project comprises a 300-megawatt (MW) combined cycle power plant and a natural gas liquids (NGL) facility that will utilise the rich natural gas piped onshore from the Stabroek Block to generate cleaner and cheaper electricity for consumers.
During Friday’s visit to the Wales project site, Labour and OSH Officers from the Ministry toured the facility and engaged with workers, contractors and project management.

“Ministry officials observed operations first-hand and discussed workplace safety, labour standards and the continued progress of activities at the site,” the labour ministry said on Friday, recognising that GtE Project is expected to deliver more affordable and reliable electricity, strengthen economic growth and create lasting benefits for Guyanese.
The visit formed part of the ministry’s ongoing commitment to promoting safe workplaces, ensuring compliance with labour laws and maintaining open engagement with all stakeholders.

“Putting safety first”
Launched in June, the “Putting Safety First” campaign is a national initiative that seeks to improve awareness, encourage compliance and promote a proactive safety culture.
With a specific focus on the construction sector, this exercise sees ministry officials embarking on a nationwide outreach programme targeting the construction sector across all 10 Administrative Regions. This is in recognition of the industry’s rapid growth and the importance of ensuring that every worker operates in a safe and healthy environment.
These engagements are designed to bring occupational safety and health awareness directly to contractors, supervisors, workers and other stakeholders within the sector.

The regional outreach programme will adopt various approaches. One fundamental aspect of each regional engagement will focus on education and awareness through Occupational Safety and Health seminars, where participants will receive practical guidance on workplace hazards, risk management, legal requirements, and best practices for maintaining safe construction sites.
Through this combined approach of education and further onsite engagement, the Ministry aims to foster a culture in which safety is proactively integrated into every stage of construction activity, ensuring that workers can contribute to Guyana’s development in safe and healthy working environments.

Seminars with contractors
Already, the Labour Ministry held seminars with contractors and engaged workers onsite across Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on measures to reduce workplace hazards, strengthen safety practices and promote a culture where everyone takes responsibility for preventing accidents and injuries.
The Putting Safety First campaign will continue to reach communities across Guyana, empowering workplaces with the knowledge and tools needed to make safety a daily priority.
While construction is the campaign’s first focus, “Putting Safety First” is intended to become a long-term national initiative that will eventually expand to other high-risk industries. This further reinforces the Ministry’s commitment to safer workplaces throughout Guyana.
Meanwhile, United States-based contractor Lindsayca is accelerating works at the GtE Project site in order to deliver cleaner and cheaper electricity by this year-end.
Just last month, Project Manager of Linsayca, Luis Pirela, updated Government officials on works, assuring that, “The target is to start power generation in December 2026… We’re working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays, to make sure this is achievable and to deliver power generation for Guyana.”
Pirela had outlined the complex process underway at Wales, noting that the facility is designed to receive natural gas and separate it into different components to maximise value for Guyana.
At the centre of the operation is methane, the primary gas component that will be used to fuel power generation and supply electricity to homes and businesses. The remaining gas components are condensed into liquids that can be recovered and stored for future use.
Pirela said the site is now technically prepared for gas introduction, with commissioning activities advancing.
The gas processing facility is initially designed to handle 50 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, with infrastructure already installed to expand capacity to 120 million standard cubic feet daily in the future.
In order to prepare for Guyana’s growing energy demand, the Guyana Government is already looking at GtE Phase Two, which will also feature a second 300-MW power plant and another NGL facility right at the Wales site – set to come on stream in 2030. Additionally, the government is also pushing massive industrialisation in the area, with a gas bottling plant and fertiliser manufacturing facility being explored.