Guyana Ready to Supply 20% of India’s Daily Crude Oil Needs

Guyana has expressed its readiness to become a major long-term crude oil supplier to India. Speaking on Friday, Guyana’s High Commissioner to India, Dharamkumar Seeraj, announced that the South American nation could meet up to 20% of India’s daily crude oil requirements in the future.

This strategic offer comes amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty in West Asia. Because India relies heavily on imported crude oil to fuel its rapidly growing economy, diversifying supply routes remains a top national priority. Guyana aims to anchor a long-term energy partnership with New Delhi by pairing its massive oil discoveries with India’s world-class refining infrastructure.

Guyana Offers One Million Barrels Per Day to India

Guyana possesses proven crude oil reserves of approximately 12 billion barrels, ranking among the highest-quality sweet crude reserves globally. According to High Commissioner Seeraj, India currently consumes roughly five million barrels of crude oil per day.

Under the proposed framework, Guyana could supply nearly one million barrels per day to Indian refineries over time. This partnership gives India a reliable, non-traditional energy source in the Western Hemisphere while securing a massive, stable buyer for Guyana’s booming petroleum output.

India and Guyana Explore Joint Refining Facilities

Beyond raw crude exports, both countries are evaluating opportunities to establish joint oil refining facilities. These downstream ventures would process Guyanese crude into finished petroleum products for domestic use and international export.

The collaboration merges complementary strengths:

• India’s Contribution: Proven technical expertise, engineering manpower, and large-scale refinery management capabilities.
• Guyana’s Contribution: Rapidly expanding upstream crude production and direct maritime access to Atlantic Ocean shipping lanes.

Joint refining projects would deepen bilateral trade and unlock substantial cross-border energy investments.

Plans for a Strategic Atlantic Marine Refuelling Hub

High Commissioner Seeraj also highlighted Guyana’s ambition to build a major marine refuelling and bunkering hub. Echoing recent remarks by Guyana’s President, Seeraj noted that Georgetown wants to develop a modern refuelling center near a deep-water channel in the Atlantic Ocean.

This coastal hub would supply marine fuel and logistics services to international commercial vessels transiting Atlantic shipping routes. India can contribute critical port engineering expertise and maritime infrastructure capabilities to bring this project to life.

High-Level Diplomacy Accelerates India–Caribbean Ties

Strong diplomatic momentum underpins these energy proposals. Seeraj emphasized that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to Guyana in November 2024 for the CARICOM-India Summit laid the foundation for deeper economic cooperation. Recent engagements between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Guyanese officials continue to encourage private-sector investment across both nations.

Simultaneously, India is expanding its broader Caribbean outreach. On the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2026, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne.

Their discussions focused on three key growth areas:

1. Trade and Investment: Expanding commercial flows across Caribbean markets.
2. Renewable Energy: Deploying clean power solutions for island economies.
3. Food Processing: Enhancing agricultural value chains and food security.

Jaishankar also conveyed Prime Minister Modi’s greetings and congratulated Browne on successfully hosting CHOGM 2026.

Strategic Snapshot: India–Guyana Energy Cooperation