PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC—After holding talks with officials from the Canadian–based Halliburton Group, Suriname has underscored the importance of developing local content within the oil and gas sector.
“Continuation of this policy is necessary to guarantee that the economic and investment climate remains stable,” President Chandrikapersad Santokhi told the delegation headed by the group’s chief executive officer, Jeffrey Miller.
Halliburton Group, a supplier of energy products and services, has expressed interest in investing here with Santokhi, indicating that local content should be used as much as possible.
According to him, the favorable investment climate that has now been created would not have been possible without the government’s drastic transformation of economic policy.
The Halliburton Group already has a ‘Mud and Cementing Plant’ in Suriname, and materials are produced here that are needed to drill offshore sources.
The company has operated on a small scale with the state-owned Staatsolie in Saramacca for 40 years.
The Communication Service Suriname (CSS), reporting on the meeting, quoted Miller as wanting to expand the current operations in Suriname further.
Staatsolie director Annand Jagesar, who was also present during the discussions with the head of state, said he hopes the Canadian company will offer its equipment and services from Suriname, just like in Guyana.
According to him, providing services for oil drilling costs a lot of money, and he added, “It is big business.
“We want part of that money to stay in Suriname because the service provision is done from here,” he added.
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