by Linda Straker
- In 2018, then PM Dr Mitchell declared there was a substantial amount of gas and oil in Grenada’s waters
- Global Petroleum Group was engaged in drilling of the country’s marine space until 2020
- Nazim Burke will chair first meeting of committee and representative from Global Petroleum Group on Wednesday
Grenada has established a committee to investigate the status of the island’s oil and gas exploration which was conducted by Global Petroleum Group (GPG) — a company registered in Grenada with the directors and owners listed on records at the Corporate and Intellectual Property Office (CAIPO) as individuals from Russia and Cyprus.
The company was engaging in drilling of the country’s marine space, and in 2018, it was declared by then Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell that there was a substantial amount of gas and oil in Grenada’s waters. However, in 2020 the company was forced to stop drilling due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Delivering the traditional Throne Speech on 26 September 2023, Governor-General Dame Cécile La Grenade announced that Government has established a committee to investigate the status of oil and gas in Grenada’s waters because no information is available.
She said there was no information provided during the transition of the new government following the June 2022 election. In an interview with the Government Information Service (GIS) following the Throne Speech, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said that no information can be found in any ministry.
“We have no information from anybody,” he said after naming the members of the committee. They are former Finance Minister Nazim Burke as the chairman; Richard Duncan, advisor to the Prime Minister; Raymond Nurse, a Grenadian geologist residing in Germany; Rodney George, current chairman of the Grenada Electricity Services (Grenlec), and a representative from the Attorney-General’s chambers. It is expected that someone will be nominated from civil society organisations.
Without sharing details about the Terms of Reference of the Committee, the Prime Minister announced that the first meeting of the committee will be held with a representative from Global Petroleum Group on Wednesday, so an update can be provided by the company.
The committee was constituted by the Cabinet of Grenada, but it is yet to be published in the Government Gazette.
The Throne Speech reviewed the achievement of Government during the first session of the 11th Parliament and outlined the plans of Government for the upcoming parliamentary years.
Oh boy we back to this dream again because if there is no information on this topic , it must be a dream.
Grenada is very small so information should be transparent at this level.
Let us hope that we get to the bottom of this and the public is informed.