Trinidad plans to refine Guyana’s oil- energy minister

Last Updated on Monday, 23 June 2025, 18:33 by Writer

Trinidad and Tobago’s (T&T) energy minister Roodal Moonilal on Monday said when the Petrotrin plant restarts operations, the facility would refine oil from Guyana, Suriname and other countries.

“Mr Speaker, we are in discussions with the Chamber in Guyana. We are in discussions with government officials to ensure that we have some commonality there so that we can source the important inputs for the refinery from Suriname, from Guyana and from elsewhere where we have been always sourcing oil for the refinery,” he said.

Up to the time of its closure, Petrotrin had been refining heavy crude, in contrast to Guyana’s light crude.

He told the Parliament that the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) was among the stakeholders that the United National Congress (UNC)-led administration was working with to restart the refinery which has been mothballed since November 2018 by the then People’s National Movement government.

Mr Moonilal said before the refinery could be fired up once again, technical, scientific, commercial, economic and contractual assessments would have to be conducted. “We are on the verge of implementing a refinery restart committee with technical experts agreed upon,” he told the T&T Parliament.

The Energy Minister said after a “quick technical assessment”, a suitable partner would be selected to man the refinery through an open and transparent process. He said the international community was approached to find the necessary expertise to assist with the technical restart of the refinery.

Mr Moonilal said since the refinery’s closure, the T&T government has been paying TT$400,000 monthly for maintenance.

The PNM administration had engaged the Nigerian company, Oando, to conduct an assessment of the facility as part of its long-term investment in the loss-making entity.

The reopening of the Petrotrin refinery was a UNC election campaign promise.