Oil & gas sector: Govt looking to train 1000 Guyanese per year at National Oil Institute

…seeks to better equip locals to take up lucrative jobs

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has said that a National Training Institute, on which construction will start next year, is expected to churn out as many as 1000 Guyanese graduates per year for Guyana’s growing oil and gas sector.
During a recent press conference, Jagdeo spoke of local content and the efforts the authorities are making to come up with a robust policy and framework. One aspect of these efforts involves the Government taking advice from those with oil and gas experience, including from Ghana, which will be sending a team of experts to Guyana.

Another aspect is ensuring Guyana’s labour market is equipped to benefit directly from the growing oil and gas sector through training. This includes setting up a National Training Institute next year.
“We’re looking to train. By early next year, we’d start building out a National Training Institute that will hopefully train a thousand persons per year. Looking to train now maybe 600 to 700 welders in a short-term certification programme,” Jagdeo explained.
“This is not just putting in place the framework, putting in place a mechanism to ensure the companies comply with their obligations, but also training people to make sure they can access the opportunities. Because if you do not do that, they will not be able to,” he explained.

Earlier this year, it was announced that a new oil and gas training centre had been opened by the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC). The centre, located in Middle Street, Georgetown, was commissioned in the presence of Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat and Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar.

ExxonMobil, which has largely sourced services from neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago for its operations in Guyana since it started exploration activities here, has said that with the strides Guyana has made to build capacity, virtually all of these services are likely to be sourced locally by 2022 as more and more prime contractors set up shop in Guyana.
Among these prime contractors are Halliburton, a United States-based oilfield contractor that has been providing a range of drilling services to Exxon; Saipem, which has been providing installation services for Exxon’s Liza Phase 2; and TechnipFMC, which is in charge of installing the subsea system for the Payara oil field – Exxon’s third development in Guyana’s waters. The presence of these companies in Guyana means there are increased employment opportunities for locals.
Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) is Exxon’s local subsidiary. It is the operator, and holds 45 per cent interest in the Stabroek Block, while Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.
Over in the Kaieteur block, Exxon is the operator with a 35 per cent stake, while Ratio owns 25 per cent. Cataleya Energy and Hess each also own a 20 per cent stake in the Kaieteur Block, while Westmount Energy owns stakes in Ratio (0.7 per cent) and Cataleya (5.4 per cent).
Meanwhile, Exxon also holds a 35 per cent stake in the Canje block, where it is also the operator. The oil giant’s co-venturers in the Canje block are Total, JHI Associates Incorporated and Mid-Atlantic Oil and Gas.
ExxonMobil has said it anticipates that at least six projects offshore Guyana will be online by 2027. A fourth project, Yellowtail, has been identified within the block with anticipated start-up 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.
The start-up of Liza Phase 2 remains on target for 2022, as the Liza Unity FPSO prepares for sail away 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. (G3)