The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS 

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

ONE year since the controversial deal with “missteps” was inked,  officials are still struggling to set a date with Oban Energies to renegotiate the Heads of Agreement for its proposed $5.5 billion oil refinery and storage terminal on Grand Bahama.

The labour minister yesterday pointed to a computer glitch for the delay in the government’s submission of proposed amendments to the agreement. “We had a glitch with our computer,” Dion Foulkes, who co-chairs the Cabinet subcommittee spearheading the Oban review and renegotiations, told reporters outside of Cabinet yesterday.

“No, no, we have not submitted (the amendments), but we will do that soon,” he said. He later added: “ (The amendments are) very comprehensive, it is about 50-pages in total and we had a glitch with our computer, we are trying to get that sorted out.”

This comes after Mr Foulkes told media two weeks ago that proposed amendments were going to be sent out that day.

In an article published by The Nassau Guardian on February 8, Mr Foulkes reportedly said: “Between today and tomorrow, we hope to have those presented to the new leadership of Oban so that, before we meet, they will have notice of what the government wants.”

The renegotiation team has been working to pin-down a date to commence talks with Oban principals for much of the last two months.

In December, Alexander Grikitis, president and managing director of operations at Oban Energies, confirmed that an EIA had been completed. He added Oban would be meeting with the government on January 7.

However, that meeting never took place, and all attempts to reschedule have been unsuccessful.

Addressing the issue yesterday, Mr Foulkes said: “The meeting has not taken place. We have about eight persons from our side that comprise the negotiation team.”

Mr Foulkes added: “On the OBAN side, there are about seven or eight also. The itinerary for all of us, we trying to work that out. As soon as we can, I would get back to you.”

“But I should have an announcement to make on Oban very soon. But I do not want to give a specific time, because I know all of you would be calling me when that time expires,” he said.

This comes as Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson yesterday confirmed that investigations into how a Bahamas Environment Science Technology Commission file on the energies company went missing sometime last year, are still ongoing.

Mr Ferguson yesterday said once the investigation is concluded, his office will make its findings public.

He was speaking on the sidelines of an Interpol Workshop being held at the Hilton.

“Again, let me … I think sometimes, what people have to know (is that) some investigations (take) a long time, some take a short time, and so we have to be thorough in whatever we are doing,” he said.

“…As soon as we reach a conclusion, the outcome will be made (public).”

The Oban deal was by the government on February 19 last year and has been dogged by controversy.

Environmental organisations that took issue with the lack of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) given the project’s risk factors. There were also concerns about the background and qualifications of some Oban representatives.

The fallout prompted an admission from Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis last March that there were missteps in the government process.

“While our heart was in the right place, these missteps should not have happened. We must, we can and we will do better,” Dr Minnis said.