VENEZUELA GAS TO T&T STILL POSSIBLE?

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A major energy policy was announced in the Parliament today. The news comes almost two months after the new UNC Government  declared the Dragon gas deal, which was heavily pursued by the former PNM administration, as dead.  Today Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal told the Parliament  that the new Government is working with authorities in the U-S and in Venezuela to ensure a common approach can be found to benefit from cross border gas fields. Juhel Browne has the details.

Transcript

00:00As the House of Representatives continued its mid-year review of the 2025 budget on Monday,

00:07Energy Minister Dr. Rudal Munilal made a major energy policy announcement

00:11as he made reference to the pursuit of the supply of natural gas

00:16from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago by the former PNM administration.

00:21We warned the former administration not to put all your eggs in one basket.

00:25The basket fell. The United States government cancelled two licenses

00:31for the mannequin coquina and for the dragon field.

00:35The UNC didn't cancel that. We are now working with all international partners

00:40to ensure that those matters can be resolved in a way that will benefit the CARICOM territories,

00:48the United States, be consistent with the United States foreign policy,

00:51and also benefit as well the co-owners of those gas fields.

00:55The present U.S. government, led by Donald Trump, revoked the waiver of certain sanctions

01:01against Venezuela by the former Joe Biden administration before the 2025 general election

01:07in Trinidad and Tobago on April 28th.

01:11On May 3rd, following the victory of the UNC and its coalition of interests,

01:15Prime Minister Kamala Prasad-Bissessa spoke about her phone call

01:19with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio one day earlier.

01:24We talked about the energy sector, but our carbon gas is there.

01:28You won't pursue that at all in terms of cross-border gas?

01:32Not at this point in time. Who knows in the fullness of time all things are possible.

01:37But at this point in time, I'm looking at the CARICOM.

01:40I'm definitely looking at our own cousins, brothers and sisters in the CARICOM.

01:45More than a month and a half later, in the House of Representatives, on June 23rd.

01:51We do understand the importance of the cross-border gas reservoirs.

01:56We understand the importance of that cross-border gas province.

02:01And we are also working with the authorities in the United States.

02:05We are also working with authorities elsewhere, in Venezuela as well,

02:10to ensure that we can have some common approach to eventually benefit from cross-border fields.

02:18As for the government's focus on gas supplies from CARICOM neighbors,

02:22Minister Munilal made reference to Suriname, which held its oil and gas conference last week.

02:28They are looking at the help of Trinidad and Tobago to negotiate with the international oil companies

02:34for bringing gas on shore and important.

02:38And they are also looking to import LNG from Trinidad and Tobago as an option.

02:44Minister Munilal said that Trinidad and Tobago Energy Ministry officials

02:47had conversations with the U.S.-based company Fulcrum that is involved in Guyana

02:53with regard to their gas exploration joint venture with ExxonMobil.

02:59Jewel Brown, TV6 News.

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