…on a fuel’s errand
Trotman’s is on his ‘schupidness” – again! – about building an oil refinery in Guyana. From the word “go” your humble Eyewitness has been trying to put some sense into his head that he’s on a fuel’s errand to go down that road! But to no avail. One wonders if it’s more than his abysmal knowledge of the area of national life he’s been given to run. Initially, he jumped the gun and said Suriname would be refining the 12½ per cent of oil we’d be getting for our share from the Stabroek field.
Suriname promptly bitch-slapped him something silly and told him to do his homework. All “oil” isn’t the same “oil”. For one, there’s “heavy” versus “light” oil…and Suriname’s refinery handles only heavy oil. Secondly, Suriname’s present field isn’t a comparable one to our offshore, deep water find – it’s on-shore and comparable to oil in our Canje region – of which they’ve been signs. Therefore, transportation’s not a problem to get the crude to the Suriname refinery.
Trinidad pointed out they have excess capacity at their Petrotrin refinery and offered to refine our oil. Since they’ve already recouped all overhead costs, wouldn’t their marginal production costs be the best proposition for us? With our oil 120 miles offshore…how does Trotman plan to bring it to shore from Exxon’s FPSO? Remember we have no docks to take in big tankers.
The alternative – an oil pipeline running along the ocean bed, isn’t as easy as it looks – and is very costly. Just look at the horrible experience of Ghana with their pipeline from their Jubilee field.
Now Trotman latched on to some desk-bound expert suggesting a “modular refinery” for us. But has he forgotten the world is awash with excess refining capacity?? Has he been informed that the largest projected markets for gasoline and oil products – India and China – have BOTH committed to electric cars?? But even if he has – and accept his expert’s advice that even a small refinery won’t be economic for us – he isn’t deterred.
He now drones on that keeping a refinery in play is a “political” rather than an “economic” decision. So how come the decision to close half of the GuySuCo’s production and throw 10,000 workers into the streets was only made on the “economics”??
We already spoke of the annual $3 billion Linden electricity subsidy being a “political” one. Isn’t the Government worried sugar workers might SUSPECT the PNC-led APNU/AFC Government’s has an ethnic orientation?
Is it that the benefit from the refinery might JUST be “jobs for the boys”?? Apart from the payoffs that’s now de rigeur with his Government?
…of Trump to nix Paris Accord
Trump’s announcement about ‘delaying’ his decision of the Paris Accord on Climate Change is just that – a delaying tactic. Trump’s firmly in the Neanderthal camp that forms his support base – which doesn’t even “believe” global warming’s caused by human activity.
As if that’s a matter of “faith” in which you have to “believe” or “not believe” – regardless of the evidence.
So the US, which only recently was overtaken by China to be the No 2 in Carbon Dioxide emissions, is now going to become a free rider. That is, they’ll continue to spew out carbon emissions expecting other countries – such as in Europe, China and India – to keep the world clean for them. That’s about as cynical as you can get.
The US became the “most developed nation” because in its 19th and 20th century industrialisation drive, it contributed more than any other country to global warming. But it’s now saying “Tough, sh*t!”
And it will be tough for us…being already three feet below sea-level.
…Shill’s desperation
The PM’s shill tried defending his boss’ illegally, sole-sourced, pre-paid, SUV – which wasn’t delivered until eight months later!
But two former Presidents and one Finance Minister getting more expensive SUV’s is a non-sequitur, isn’t it Water Boy??
