Guyana EPA denies claims of missing environmental assessments for Wales gas project

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Guyana has rejected claims that the Wales Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project bypassed necessary environmental assessments. The regulator issued a statement responding to reports by Dr. Vincent Adams, who suggested that no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was conducted for the Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility or the associated power plant.

The EPA clarified that the NGL facility was included in the original Gas-to-Energy EIA, which was prepared following a public notice period in 2021. This assessment specifically covered the construction, operation, and decommissioning of the NGL plant, as well as offshore and onshore pipelines and associated infrastructure.

Regarding the 300-megawatt power plant, the EPA stated it was screened separately. The agency maintains that its decision to exempt the power plant from a separate EIA was published with formal reasons in January 2023. The power plant was excluded from the primary GTE EIA because it is to be operated by a different entity, though its potential cumulative impacts were modeled alongside the NGL plant's emissions.