Canadian experts scrutinising work of coalition-hired consultant – Minister Bharrat clarifies
Payara review
…says President Ali did not want to blindly sign off on review report
Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat has clarified that the international team of experts recruited by Canada for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government is not actually conducting a review of the Payara Field Development Plan (FDP), but is in fact scrutinising the work done by Bayphase Oil and Gas Consultant – the company initially hired by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition since 2019.
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The Department of Energy had contracted Bayphase Oil and Gas Consultants at a sum of US$386,830 to review ExxonMobil’s Payara contract – the US oil giant’s third development project – and this process commenced in December 27, 2019. There was a first contract extension (no cost) to July 27, 2020 and then a second contract extension to September 27, 2020 with a revised contract sum of US$429,382 which represents an 11 per cent increase. This review by the Camberley, England-based consultancy firm will be completed shortly.
As such, Minister Bharrat explained the independent team, led by Canadian Queen’s Counsel Alison Redford, are not conducting a total review of the Payara Development Plan, but a review of what was done by Bayphase Oil and Gas.
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