President Dr Irfaan Ali has laid out an ambitious plan for Guyana to expand its oil and gas sector beyond crude production and transform into a major global petrochemical hub.
Speaking at the Berbice Development Summit on Tuesday at the Georgetown Marriott, the Head of State said Guyana has the potential to extract maximum value from its gas reserves by investing in large-scale processing and value-added industries.
He outlined several development scenarios that could help the country monetise gas, create jobs, and spur industrial growth.
In one model, Dr Ali explained that gas fractions could be separated and converted into high-value export products such as blue ammonia, urea, methanol, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), propane, and butane. He also pointed to the potential for a gas-powered data centre campus, which could support digital exports and create new technology jobs.
A second scenario, he said, would prioritise job creation and local participation through a mix of mid-scale industries within the energy corridor, including gas-powered yeast and fertiliser production, steel using gas-based direct reduced iron, cement, glass, aluminium, agro-processing, cold storage, and a digital hub.
A third pathway focuses on leveraging cheap, stable gas energy to drive industrial transformation, enabling Guyana to convert its raw materials into finished products such as cement, lime, glass, ceramics, aluminium, and fertiliser.
According to President Ali, the goal is to use low-cost, reliable gas energy to strengthen key sectors like construction, mining, and agriculture, while boosting national production capacity.
He also spoke of a mega-scale gas complex that would monetise every gas fraction on one site, producing blue ammonia, urea, methanol, plastics, and other high-value products. The complex would feature its own desalination system, water recycling facilities, and export jetty, anchoring what he described as a “national petrochemical brand.”
“This is about positioning Guyana as a global petrochemical destination and brand. Every fraction of Guyana’s gas can be transformed into high-value products and jobs,” President Ali said.
The summit came as Guyana continues to record major milestones in its energy sector. ExxonMobil recently confirmed that national oil production has reached 900,000 barrels per day, just months after the start-up of the Yellowtail project, the country’s fourth offshore development.
At the same time, the government signed a new Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with TotalEnergies, QatarEnergy, and PETRONAS for the Shallow-Water Block S4, which includes a US$15 million signing bonus, surpassing the previous US$10 million cap for shallow-water blocks.
