Williams: More gas stations and ‘gas bars’ coming

Williams made the announcement yesterday at a business association energy luncheon at Cara Suites, Claxton Bay. He also told a luncheon gathering at Cara Suites on Tuesday that a number of "internal adjustments" have been done to reduce Government’s share of its gas subsidy.

The retail margin for the retailers had been increased, Williams said, and the road improvement tax abolished.

"And at the end of the day, the final pump price remains the same," he said.

During a question and answer session, he told business leaders that electricity-production capability would be increased to meet skyrocketing demand with the coming on stream of a number of heavy industries, including the aluminium smelter plant.

"We are also in the process of increasing the electricity production capability in the country. We are currently working on a 200 mega watt arrangement now, so with several new plants coming on, we expect that we will be probably looking at 1.2 giga watts of new power which puts us per capita with one of the highest per capita users of electricity," he said.

During his power point presentation, he assured business executives, which included Petrotrin executive chairman, Malcolm Jones, that present estimates of natural gas stood at 34.868 trillion cubic feet, or 30 years of resource.

The energy minister announced that 13 new oil and gas exploration wells are to be drilled within the next 24 months.