Canadian schools offering Guyana oil, gas and mining assistance

Reputable tertiary institutions in Canada are willing to supplement the oil and gas industry Guyana is pursuing by sharing the wealth of knowledge and expertise.

The two institutions – College of the North Atlantic and The Marine Institute of Memorial University – made the pitch to the Guyana government at the invitation of Canadian High Commissioner David Devine.
College of the North Atlantic President Ann Marie Vaughan and other officials from the other institution met the Guyanese head of state President Donald Ramotar on Tuesday in the company of High Commissioner Devine, exchanging views and information in the natural resources sector.
Both institutions, based in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, worked collaboratively to develop an oil and gas industry over the last 25 years, leading to a transformed Canadian economy. In an invited comment to the Government Information Agency (GINA), Vaughan said the province has moved from “a have-not province” to a leader of economic growth within Canada. She believes the potential is there for oil and gas development in Guyana.
Although a discovery has not yet been made, investors are still keeping their fingers crossed and holding to the potential of the Guyana offshore basin as a vastly underexplored area.
High Commissioner Devine said prospects are favourable, pointing to the recent discovery in French Guiana and highlighted the importance of planning ahead by passing on the requisite knowledge about the industry to the right stakeholders.
The team’s working visit to Guyana included meetings with officials of the government, education and training institutions.
College of the North Atlantic is one of the largest post-secondary educational and skills training centres in Canada, and the Marine Institute of Memorial University is considered a centre of excellence in advanced fisheries and marine technology encompassing education and training, applied research, and technology transfer.
“We really do wish all the benefits to be for the Guyanese people, and it’s similar to what we want for in Newfoundland and Labrador as well,” Vaughan said.
At present, several reputable oil exploration companies are in pursuit of oil in the Guyana offshore area. Among them are REPSOL, Tullow Oil, YPF, CGX and ExxonMobil. CGX recently announced plans to shift drilling operations to a different location in the Corentyne after coming up empty in the eagle one location.