Senior Petroleum Coordinator at the Natural Resources Ministry, Bobby Gossai Jr, has underscored the importance of sustainability in managing the country’s oil and gas resources, noting that every approval granted within the industry takes environmental safeguards into account. He made the remarks during a recent episode of the Energy Perspectives podcast, where he explained that environmental considerations remain central to every decision made by the Government within the oil and gas industry. “Even our crude that we trade, there is a carbon level on that that we must maintain over time, in order to ensure that our crude is very competitive,” Gossai Jr highlighted. He also noted that environmental considerations are incorporated into every new field development plan reviewed and every environmental permit granted. “Every new approval that we give, will take into account those environmental safeguards,” he expressed.

For environmental permits, he emphasised that they include stringent measures including penalties for breaches, such as for excessive flaring. Guyana’s regulatory framework penalises unauthorised or excessive gas flaring by offshore operators, at a rate of US$50 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalents emitted beyond permitted startup or maintenance windows. Latest available data indicates that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collected almost $1 billion in flaring fines from ExxonMobil as of April 2025. Meanwhile, in addition to these safeguards, Gossai Jr pointed to the Petroleum Activities Act as well as the Oil Pollution Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Responsibility Act which include measures to protect the environment. For the Petroleum Activities Act, the petroleum expert noted that the Government is in the process of developing regulations to support the legislation. “We’re hoping to have that done before the end of this year,” he said. He also reminded that Guyana is the only oil-producing nation in the region and one of only 13 in the world equipped with an in-country capping stack to contain potential offshore well blowouts. Gossai Jr further explained that even with the gas to energy pipeline landed at Wales on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD), safeguards are in place through a “buffer zone” along the corridor. He said authorities ensure no activities are taking place in that area, including farming or the use of heavy-duty equipment. According to Gossai Jr, authorities continue to work in harmony to ensure the country stays updated with international best practices governing the sector. For instance, he said the Ministry of Natural Resources is currently working along with the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning to strengthen regulations to ensure both people and the environment are protected. Additionally, he said the EPA continues to monitor offshore activities.