Foreign consulting agencies show interest in local projects

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Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Stantec Vice-President for Energy Mark Allen and Vice-President for Strategic Business Development Carlos Mallol and Senior Trade Commissioner at the High Commission of Canada Jake Thomas

Prime Minister Mark Phillips on Thursday met with executives from engineering and consulting companies Stantec and WB Consulting Group LLC at his office in Georgetown.

Stantec Vice-President for Energy Mark Allen and Vice-President for Strategic Business Development Carlos Mallol discussed several local projects and areas of shared interest with the Prime Minister.

Counsellor and Senior Trade Commissioner at the High Commission of Canada Jake Thomas was also present at the meeting.

Last year, Stantec was one of the two international consulting firms hired to evaluate bids received for the construction of the 300 megawatts power plant and Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility at Wales, West Coast Demerara (WCD) under the gas-to-energy project.

Based on the reports of these international firms, an evaluation team of three people, including a representative of ExxonMobil, was appointed for the project.

This multimillion-dollar project aims to reduce the cost of energy by at least 50 per cent through an energy mix, thereby potentially saving Guyana US$150 million on power generation annually.

Canadian-based Stantec has been working within the Caribbean for over four decades, offering their expertise in areas including energy storage and transition, landside infrastructure, mining, pipelines, facilities and terminals, solid waste management and transportation.

Most recently, within the Caribbean market, they investigated possible sources of non-potable water for irrigation for the Apes Hill Golf Resort in Barbados; provided engineering expertise in the development of a new permanent harbour in Montserrat; and conducted an environmental impact assessment for the Government of Bermuda as they seek to widen and dredge their shipping channel.

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