HGP Nightly News – Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat says Guyana is still examining its refinery options, with no final decision yet made on whether the country will build its own facility or support a regional arrangement.
Speaking on The Guyana Dialogue programme, Bharrat said Trinidad and Tobago has for some time been looking at the possibility of reopening its refinery and putting it back into operation. He noted that technical assessments have already been done on the facility, and that Guyana has been engaged in discussions about the possible supply of feedstock.
According to the minister, “there were about a few companies” involved in technical assessments to determine what would be needed to restart the refinery, and those parties have also been in dialogue with Guyana. However, he made it clear that no commitment has yet been given. “No decision… it is just at a stage where we are still in talks,” Bharrat said.
He explained that Guyana cannot make a firm determination until Trinidad finalises whether the refinery will in fact be reopened. “We cannot make a decision until Trinidad put the refinery back into operation,” he said, adding that only then could Guyana determine whether it would be in a position to supply crude or not.
Bharrat also addressed reports that the Government has been in discussions with the Dominican Republic about establishing a refinery. He recalled that a few years ago Guyana had sought expressions of interest to “design, build, finance and operate” a small refinery of about 30,000 barrels per day. He said a number of companies and countries responded, and the Dominican Republic was among those that indicated serious interest.
According to Bharrat, the Dominican Republic has remained engaged and has signalled that it is still interested in partnering with Guyana on such an investment. Even so, he stressed again that “we have not made a decision on building a refinery as yet.”
The minister said one of the biggest issues facing any in-country refinery project is infrastructure, particularly Guyana’s current river depth and shipping limitations. He explained that while Guyana has long considered deep-water possibilities, that remains a major challenge. “One of the greatest challenges that we are facing is depth of our river,” Bharrat said, noting that the current conditions would not easily support the large tankers needed to move a million barrels of crude.
In that regard, Bharrat said any refinery project would have to be linked to the wider industrial plans for the Crab Island area in Berbice. He explained that Crab Island has been identified as part of a larger development strategy that could eventually accommodate a port, a refinery, gas infrastructure and other downstream industries.
“That is the area identified for… the port, the refinery, whenever we decide on that,” Bharrat said, while also pointing to the possibility of pipeline expansion and other industrial facilities being tied into the same zone. According to him, the refinery discussion cannot be separated from the broader master plan for the area.
Bharrat’s comments suggest that while the refinery idea remains alive, the Government is still weighing its options carefully. For now, discussions with Trinidad and the Dominican Republic continue, but the minister’s message was that Guyana is not yet at the stage of making a final decision.
