T&T regrets missed opportunities with Guyana – Energy Minister

…now ready to share expertise as Guyana pushes regional, int’l partnerships

Trinidad and Tobago’s Energy Minister Roodal Moonilal says it is regrettable that his country did not do more to strengthen collaboration with Guyana on the energy sector – something he says they are keen on fixing.
Minister Moonilal made these remarks on Wednesday at the Guyana Energy Conference in Georgetown, where he joined Guyana’s Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat and Suriname’s Minister of Oil, Gas and Environment Patrick Brunings on a Ministerial panel to discuss regional energy security.
In a presentation prior to the panel, the Trinidadian Minister marvelled at Guyana’s unparalleled and unprecedented economic transformation in recent years as he declared his administration’s commitment to working with Guyana in the energy sector.

“It is with a sense of regret I address you with the belief that over the recent past, we have not been able to conduct business, to integrate our strategies to work with the Government and people of Guyana in a way that our Prime Minister, the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar, has now mandated… We were disappointed that over the years, a former [Trinidadian] administration may not have taken advantage and worked closely with the Government of Guyana to advance both our mutual benefit,” he posited.
Reflecting on the Twin Island Republic’s previous role as the energy centre in the Caribbean – something he admits is no longer the case given the recent changes in the region’s energy landscape – Moonilal has offered his country’s vast expertise not just to Guyana but to other Caribbean partners as well.
“We have extensive energy experience, infrastructure, and an industrial base. We’re prepared, and we were always prepared to share expertise and enter into meaningful collaboration in establishing a Caribbean petroleum market… We stand committed to working with the Governments of Guyana and Suriname in your petrochemical developments,” he stated.
Additionally, the T&T Minister also spoke about direct collaboration with Guyana on the revival of the Pointe-a-Pierre Refinery, also called the Petrotrin refinery, which was shut down in 2018.
“We are indeed encouraged to work with the Government of Guyana and other delegates and other entities present at this Energy Conference to advance the reopening of this refinery in Pointe-a-Pierre,” the Minister stated.

Deeper collaboration
Meanwhile, Bharrat also echoed similar support for deeper collaboration among Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago on energy development within the Caribbean and advancing renewables alongside responsibly managed fossil fuels.
“Partnership is key… Guyana-Suriname-Trinidad, how do we collaborate more to ensure we bring greater benefits to our people… Partnership with Governments, [like] our partners from Trinidad and Suriname, is critical and important. International partnership is even more critical and important, especially at this juncture.”
“We expect that from this conference, that [you] will grow partnerships, that we will form joint ventures, that we will have a consortium… You invest in Guyana because there is predictability, there is stability, there is security for your investment, and more importantly, you have a Government that encourages and ensures that your investment is safe and worthwhile,” Bharrat emphasised.
On the other hand, Suriname’s Oil, Gas and Environment Minister has also highlighted the scope for potential collaboration among the three Caribbean nations in advancing the region’s energy transition. Utilising earnings from fossil fuel operations, he noted that Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad can pool resources to tap into the abundant renewable energy opportunities in the region.
“We see it as an opportunity, the fast-growing oil and gas sector in Suriname and Guyana, teaming up with Trinidad. What can [this] mean for the greater Caribbean? Personally, I think that Trinidad, Suriname and Guyana can play a bigger role in supporting the [energy] transition for the greater region,” Minister Brunings stated.
Guyana is keen on establishing a regional energy corridor, with President Dr Irfaan Ali declaring at the opening of the Energy Conference on Tuesday that his Government is eager to partner with Suriname on developing the neighbouring countries’ natural gas resources.
According to the Head of State, Guyana is looking for “like-minded partners” as he directly appealed to Suriname to join Guyana in scaling up the second Gas-to-Energy (GtE) initiative planned for Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
“If you look at what we are doing, you will see that we are on that path of integration… For the Berbice Gas Project, we want to do this with our friends in Suriname, and we are hoping that our friends in Suriname can take the decision to join us by bringing their gas with our gas so we can move from a medium-sized project to a larger-scale project for both of our countries and for the region,” President Ali noted.
The Guyanese leader revealed that discussions with Suriname are already underway, emphasising the need for decisions to be made in a timely manner in order to lock in investors.
“We are hoping that very quickly we can have some decisions because our investors are waiting for those decisions, and those decisions are critical for your future and our future. We want this partnership. We want that, just like we are partnering with our friends in Roraima and Brazil on transport and logistics and the food partnership, we want that partnership [with Suriname],” the Guyanese President stated.
United States energy firm Fulcrum LNG Inc has been selected to develop a potential gas project in a tripartite arrangement with the Guyana Government and United States oil major ExxonMobil, which is operating the prolific Stabroek Block offshore Guyana.
Guyana has already touted large-scale industrial projects such as power plants, data centres and alumina plants, among other heavy industries, for the Berbice Gas Project – an initiative that will be separate from the highly anticipated Gas-to-Energy project that is currently underway at Wales, West Bank Demerara.