Following his participation at the World Free Zones Organization Congress in Panama, President Luis Abinader made a strategic stopover in Georgetown, Guyana, to advance bilateral energy negotiations. On 14 May 2026, President Abinader met with Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali at State House to solidify the Dominican Republic’s participation in Guyana’s hydrocarbon sector, specifically targeting exploration rights in the Berbice Block.
An official press release from the Guyana government dated 14 May 2026 indicates that the governments of Guyana and the Dominican Republic continue to strengthen the strong partnership established through the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which outlined cooperation in the areas of energy, oil refinery, agriculture, tourism, and petrochemicals, driving both state-to-state agreements and those of private-sector joint ventures.
Dominican participation via Refidomsa
The cornerstone of the current negotiations is the active involvement of the Dominican Petroleum Refinery (Refidomsa). Refidomsa is the government-owned refinery used primarily to refine crude from Venezuela and store imported fuel.
Representing the Dominican state, Refidomsa has been spearheading investment and exploration talks for the Berbice Block.
Under the framework of the negotiations, Refidomsa aims to secure a 10% equity stake in the Berbice Block without requiring an upfront capital investment from the Dominican state.
If drilling yields commercially viable oil or natural gas reserves, the Dominican Republic will gain preferential access to the extracted crude or gas, significantly bolstering its long-term national energy security.
For the Dominican Republic, the primary objective is securing long-term energy independence, bolstering national energy security. The successful venture would grant the country preferential access to any commercially viable crude oil or natural gas extracted from the block.
Beyond state exploration, both governments welcomed the accelerating partnerships among private-sector entities from both nations, who are actively forming consortia and joint ventures in agriculture and petrochemical manufacturing.
Background on the Berbice Block
The Berbice Block is a highly specialized hydrocarbon exploration zone that presents a distinct geological profile from Guyana’s famous deepwater discoveries. Situated in the eastern coastal and near-shore region of Guyana within the East Berbice-Corentyne area (Region 6), the block borders Suriname. Unlike the massive deepwater oil fields of the Stabroek Block (operated by ExxonMobil), Berbice covers onshore and shallow near-shore tracts.
The “Proto-Berbice” Influence: Geologically, the block lies along the ancient trajectory of the Proto-Berbice River. During the Cretaceous period, this massive river system deposited vast volumes of organic sediment northward into the basin, creating the source rocks for the region’s offshore oil wealth.
Hydrocarbon Migration: Geochemical soil gas testing and technical surveys indicate that hydrocarbons have migrated shoreward from the deeper basins, trapping heavy oil and natural gas deposits at shallower depths. This matches the geological formation of Suriname’s highly productive, onshore Tambaredjo and Calcutta heavy oil fields located just across the border.
Corporate history
The concession was previously held by ON Energy Inc., a subsidiary owned 62% by the Canadian explorer CGX Energy. ON Energy performed historical exploratory drilling in the zone, which confirmed shallow indications of oil and gas. However, the block was formally relinquished and returned to the Guyanese state in 2023, clearing the path for the current bilateral agreement with the Dominican Republic.
The broader “Berbice Industrial Hub” vision
The integration of Dominican capital and technical discussion via Refidomsa aligns with Guyana’s master plan to transform Region 6 into a regional industrial capital. Guyana is positioning itself as a central energy hub for the Caribbean through several planned infrastructure projects:
• Gas Infrastructure: The Guyanese government plans to construct a second natural gas pipeline in Berbice. This will mirror ExxonMobil’s existing pipeline from the Liza field to Wales (West Bank Demerara), which currently supplies 125 million standard cubic feet of gas daily for domestic power generation and Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) extraction.
• Downstream Industrialization: The localized gas extraction and pipeline infrastructure are designed to anchor heavy industries, attracting private international investment for
a 300-megawatt gas-fired power plant, deep-water port infrastructure and Regional petrochemical, alumina processing, and fertilizer manufacturing plants.
While state negotiations—anchored by Refidomsa and the Banco de Reservas (represented by administrator Samuel Pereyra during the 14 May 2026 State House meeting)—take the lead on the Berbice Block and the proposed 50,000 bpd oil refinery, Dominican private sector conglomerates are heavily driving the broader multi-sector deals.
Spurred by the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), several prominent Dominican private companies have formed strategic consortia and joint ventures in Guyana’s energy, infrastructure, and agricultural sectors.
Three leading Dominican companies are involved in the Guyana deals. They are:
Energy & grid modernization: InterEnergy Group that has signed a US$15.6 million contract with Guyana Power and Light (GPL), the state-owned utility company. Under this multi-year agreement, InterEnergy is providing supervisory, engineering, and project management consultancy services. They are actively tasked with upgrading Guyana’s strained electricity infrastructure, introducing smart-grid technologies, and overseeing major generation asset installations to mitigate regional power reliability issues.
Large-Scale Agriculture: Grupo Rizek
Agriculture is a primary pillar of the state-to-state framework designed to position Guyana as the food capital of CARICOM, and Dominican agribusiness is leading the charge. In March 2026, Grupo Rizek (traditionally the Dominican Republic’s leading producer and exporter of organic cacao) formalized a major private investment expansion into Guyana.
The conglomerate is integrating local Guyanese producers to establish a major cocoa cultivation footprint. Grupo Rizek is injecting industrial processing technology and leveraging its international export pipelines to build a brand-new, export-grade cocoa industry in the country.
Infrastructure & Logistics: Grupo Estrella
Developing Region 6 (East Berbice-Corentyne) into a major industrial capital requires massive civil engineering, which has brought in Dominican industrial heavyweights.
Grupo Estrella has established an active operating presence in Guyana to support regional infrastructure projects.
Through its specialized construction and manufacturing arms (including its corporate division, Ingeniería Estrella, and PANAM cement exports), the group is supplying structural steel and high-grade Portland cement. These materials are directly fueling the logistics networks and mining expansions necessary to clear the way for Guyana’s upcoming deep-water ports and industrial free zones.
Read more:
Presidency
Noticias SIN
Government of Guyana
The Guyana Chronicle
18 May 2026