(Kaieteur News) – The government is developing a dedicated emergency response contingency plan for the Wales Gas-to-Energy project as part of efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness around the landmark energy initiative, Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips announced on Tuesday during the opening of the 14th Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM14) at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre.

“Guyana continues to strengthen its disaster risk management framework to support the country’s rapidly expanding economy, and growing energy sector…. a gas-to-energy emergency response contingency plan is in development,” the prime minister stated.

Prime Minister Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips delivering the featured address at the conference.
Prime Minister Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips delivering the featured address at the conference.

The PM explained that resilience and national development are interconnected increasingly, particularly as Guyana is investing heavily into critical infrastructure that will expand its energy footprint.

“As we build new infrastructure and expand our energy capacity, the task of protecting those assets and the communities around them grows every year,” he said.

He also noted that the project-specific contingency plan is part of a broader package of safety measures that are being systematically implemented through the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) in an aim to improve the country’s readiness for both natural and technological hazards.

“These comprehensive measures include the implementation of the Oil Pollution Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Responsibility Act, the legislative advancement of a modernised Disaster Risk Management Bill, and the expansion of multi-hazard early warning systems utilising geographic information systems (GIS), satellite telemetry, and advanced information and communications technology (ICT),” the statement further said.

Original link posted by Kaieteur News on June 17, 2026