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ENERGY Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal has said that, notwithstanding pronouncements by Venezuelan officials, the Manatee gas project is “safe and will proceed.” “There are some infrastructure developments related to that project that are ongoing. Those projects continue and we will continue to speak with Shell and other stakeholders concerning an expansion in gas production from Manatee.” When asked which Venezuelan officials he spoke to regarding the project, he said, “We conduct our business through all our stakeholders and in our diplomatic state-to-state relations, we work through the Foreign and Caricom affairs and that continues.” He reiterated previous statements by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. “We are not dependent on Venezuelan gas. We have a robust plan for oil and gas exploration, production and development onshore with Heritage in particular and offshore projects with several multinationals.” “...In place now we have absolutely no commercial relations with Venezuela as it relates to gas. We do not produce anything at this point. We have plans, we have projects and cross-border fields but we are not losing a dollar at this moment “ He said the government would continue along its “diplomatic lines” despite “echoes” in Venezuela. In 2019, the governments of TT and Venezuela reached an agreement allowing each country to independently develop its share of the Loran-Manatee field. Manatee is expected to start production in 2027 and is expected to produce 104,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day at peak. Regarding Nutrien, which has shut down its TT operations, Moonilal said the company still had interest in further investments in TT. “They have expressed some interest in other lines of business and deeper integration with our agricultural sector… and we’re hoping in the coming days we will discuss some of their future plans with them.”
