ExxonMobil Guyana’s Commercial Manager Paul Foster on Tuesday discussed Berbice’s unique advantages as the government advances plans for a natural gas development to anchor new digital and industrial projects in the county. Speaking at the Berbice Development Summit, Foster said Berbice’s stability, abundant water and absence of natural disasters make it well-suited for industries that require reliability and secure energy.
“Data centres really don’t like hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes,” Foster said, noting that Guyana’s geography offers resilience for such facilities. He added that Guyana could be linked to major markets through subsea fibre at relatively modest cost.
Foster told potential investors that a gas project in the southeast section of the offshore Stabroek Block, supported by a pipeline to Berbice, would be the backbone of the government’s industrial hub. He said there needs to be early coordination, as government and private developers must align their investment decisions to mitigate risk. “The whole value chain ultimately has to hang together,” he said.
At the summit, EY Global Partner Jay Persaud said a data centre of 2 gigawatts (GW) is part of the vision for the Berbice hub. A 100 MW data centre is also in the works for Wales, according to a recent memorandum of understanding between Guyana and Cerebras Systems.
President Irfaan Ali said his administration intends to maximise foreign investment while keeping debt financing low, and wants strong participation from local, regional and diaspora investors. He also said a major gas development must advance by 2030, as he expects to conclude his final term as President in 2031.
