US$1.6M upgraded Shell Service Station at McDoom commissioned

…EBD transitioning into oil capital of Guyana – Minister Bharrat

Sol Guyana has upgraded its Shell Service Station at McDoom, Greater Georgetown into a state-of-the-art facility, and according to Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat, this goes along with the development of the East Bank Demerara corridor as the oil capital of the country.

The updated Shell Service Station, which was done to the tune of US$1.6 million, now includes four spacious pump stations along with a walk-in convenient store.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Wednesday, Minister Bharrat posited that these upgrades of the facility go along with the Guyana Government’s vision to transform the country.
According to Minister Bharrat, the East Bank Demerara corridor plays an important role in this transition.
“East Bank Demerara is establishing itself very quietly as the oil and gas capital, or the corridor of Guyana.”
This, the Natural Resources Minister stated, is evident in the fact that a number of companies operating in the oil and gas sector have established offices and on-shore operations along the East Bank, including Schlumberger Guyana, Guyana Shore Base Inc, Champion X and Baker Hughes Guyana, among others, including Sol.
“Today, adding this new [upgraded] facility to the landscape of the East Bank is indeed keeping with our development trajectory as we move forward as a country and as a people,” he said.
While noting that the Guyana Government welcomes such investments into the local economy and development of the country, the Natural Resources Minister took the opportunity to clarify that the recently established Local Content legislation is not geared towards blocking foreign investments, as is perceived by some investors.
“I met with a few foreign companies earlier today, and a few of them were of the perception that they may not be able to invest in Guyana, or that they may not be able to operate in Guyana… [I told them] that, as a Government, we are open to business and that the Local Content Legislation was in no way intended, and will never be intended, to stop investments coming into the country. The Local Content legislation was implemented to ensure that Guyanese benefit from the oil and gas sector.”
In fact, Minister Bharrat stressed, “As a Government and as a people, we welcome foreign investments. We welcome investments in our country which obviously generate jobs for our local people, transfer of skills and technology, cheaper goods and services and, of course, you pay taxes to the Government. So, the Local Content legislation was in no way designed to hinder or prohibit foreign investments from coming into Guyana.”
Meanwhile, Sol Guyana General Manager Earl Carribon has said the US$1.6 million upgrades – which were completed on time in less than a year, and within budget despite several challenges and setbacks caused by weather and other factors – is one of a series of projects to be undertaken by the company in keeping with its growth strategy in Guyana.
“These investments are investments that would essentially be required to enable us to continue to grow in Guyana, and grow as Guyana grows; and enables Sol to continue to deliver exceptional energy solutions and exceptional customer service to our loyal customers,” the General Manager has said.
Also there at Wednesday’s commissioning ceremony was Sol’s Regional Manager for Guyana and Suriname, Mark Goede, who emphasised Sol’s commitment to contribute to the country’s economic growth and serving customers here.
“We will continue to invest in modern gas stations like Shell McDoom to continue to offer our quality products with the latest technical developments for convenience and safety for people and the environment,” the Regional Manager has asserted.
Meanwhile, other company officials also attended the commissioning, as well as representatives from the McDoom/Agricola area, who also lauded the company for its contributions towards the development of the community’s landscape.
Only last month, Sol Guyana commissioned a new jetty along the Demerara River at the Rome Terminal in Agricola, Greater Georgetown, where Carribon disclosed that the company plans to invest some US$13.8 million in local projects this year, and a further US$50 million over the next five years.
In fact, the General Manager highlighted some of the previous projects that the company has completed over the years, as well as new developments that are underway that would benefit both customers in the oil and gas and non-oil and gas sectors.
“There are many other investments that we have undertaken or are undertaking…we completed the fuel line from our Rome Terminal to the GYSBI fuel farm to allow for additional fuel berths for offshore vessels,” he noted.
“We have commenced constructing of a new 55k barrel diesel tank here at Rome to better serve our customers both in the oil and gas and non-oil and gas sectors. We are expanding our LPG storage to better meet the expanding demand for LPG/cooking gas,” Carribon added.
The General Manager also noted, “We have broken ground on the Mandela Avenue Service Station, which will be completed by the end of the year.”