Local content important to Tullow Oil

─ says Executive Vice-President Dr Ian Cloke

DPI, Guyana, Friday, August 30, 2019

Executive Vice-President of the multinational oil and gas exploration company, Tullow Oil, Dr. Ian Cloke described local content as very important to their operations both locally and internationally.

During an exclusive interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Dr. Cloke outlined the company’s local content plans for Guyana. He pointed to the fact that Tullow Oil’s operations in Uganda, Kenya and Ghana are run by locals.

He cited the example of Ghana, where over 80% of the company’s workforce comprises local Ghanaians. Cloke remarked that “a successful Guyanese business for us in the future will be led by a Guyanese.”

Despite the recent oil find, Tullow is still at the exploration stage of operations and its small local office is currently manned by an expatriate manager and two Guyanese. The Executive Vice-President disclosed as the company moves beyond exploration to a prospective appraisal on the Jethro-1 well, they will be looking to establish a shore base.

“We will look to expand the operations here and will be looking for other areas for investment,” he said.

According to Dr. Cloke, Tullow will open tenders for future offshoot services to as many local companies as possible.

On August 12, Tullow Guyana B.V struck liquid gold at the Jethro-1 exploration well. The well was drilled in the Orinduik Block and oil was discovered in commercial quantities. The well, encountered 55m of net oil pay which supports a recoverable oil resource estimate that exceeds Tullow’s pre-drill forecast.

It was drilled by the Stena Forth drillship to a total depth of 4,400 metres in approximately 1,350 metres of water. It is the first discovery on the Orinduik Block and significantly de-risked other Tertiary age prospects on the block.

The discovery of oil reserves at the Jethro-1 well is the fourth for 2019 and brings the total number of offshore wells to 14.