Suriname, Guyana Plan Cross-Border Team for Join Gas Projects
February 18, 2026
Suriname and Guyana plan to create a joint technical team to explore the development of natural gas production projects between the two South American countries, Suriname's oil minister told Reuters.
The team, which could be installed next month, would mark a major step forward for Suriname and Guyana, which have long discussed the possibility of cross-border collaboration on natural gas development. Any future gas project to emerge would be the first of its kind for the two countries.
Experts involved in the project will need to consider a litany of factors including the total volume of natural gas available, infrastructure requirements for both countries and how the gas will be used, Patrick Brunings, Suriname's minister of oil, gas and environment, said in an interview during the Guyana Energy Conference.
Combining the countries' gas resources could make them more appealing to investors, he said.
"There are some volumes that are not interesting yet (in Guyana), that's the same for Suriname. But if you combine, the volumes might be more attractive," Brunings said.
Guyana's minister for natural resources did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Oil companies will not play a role on the joint technical team initially, but may be included in the future.
"We first want to come together country-to-country, to see what the opportunities are," Brunings said.
Suriname needs to discuss the idea of developing gas projects with Guyana with TotalEnergies, Chevron and APA, he added. The three energy firms are among Suriname's key partners in oil projects.
Exxon Mobil, which operates the oil consortium that currently produces all of Guyana's output, would also need to get on board, Brunings said.
In an interview on Tuesday, Exxon Upstream President Dan Ammann said the company has not had discussions about collaborating on gas with Suriname.
Brunings conceded that companies are likely to focus on developing oil first because it is more profitable, and natural gas projects would need to make financial sense. The technical team will work toward signing a memorandum of understanding, or a non-binding agreement, to explore joint gas projects, Brunings said.
(Reuters - Reporting by Kemol King and Sheila Dang in Georgetown, Guyana; Editing by Nathan Crooks and Lincoln Feast)
