Page 7 - GLNG Week 04 2023

GLNG COMMENTARY GLNG

Trinidad and Tobago
Prime Minister Keith
Rowley.

Regional involvement energy needs,” the statement said. In practical
The prime minister made clear that his gov- terms, this will take the form of including pro-
ernment had not been discussing the deal in visions in the waiver that require Trinidad and
isolation. Tobago to direct a portion of future gas produc-
Other countries in the region have thrown tion from the Dragon field to Jamaica and the
their support behind the Dragon project, he Dominican Republic, it noted.
noted. These include Jamaica and the Domin- It was not immediately clear how much of
ican Republic, which will benefit directly from this production stream might be reserved for
the agreement, he said, noting particularly Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. Drag-
that the Dominican Republic’s President Luis on’s output may eventually peak at 3.5bn cubic
Rodolfo Abinader had helped promote discus- feet (99.11mn cubic metres) per day. The field is
sions on regional energy security. expected to help serve as a supplementary source
He also expressed gratitude to Antigua and of feedstock for Atlantic LNG, a gas liquefaction
Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, The plant in Trinidad and Tobago that is currently
Bahamas’ Prime Minister Phillip Davis, Bar- processing 3 bcf (84.96 mcm) per day, equivalent
bados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Guyana’s to about 71.43% of its design capacity of 4.2 bcf
President Irfaan Ali and Suriname’s President (118.9 mcm) per day.
Chan Santokhi. All of these leaders “have been Rowley indicated that Port of Spain and
in Trinidad and Tobago’s corner, pushing us to Caracas had already drawn up some operational
this point of encouraging the United States to do plans for work at the gas field. The two sides have
this,” he remarked. agreed to “take reasonable steps to facilitate the
Additionally, Rowley thanked US Vice Pres- development of construction, operation and
ident Kamala Harris for her role in the negoti- maintenance of one or more pipelines from the
ations on the waiver, saying that she had been Mariscal Sucre area ... including a pipeline from
a “careful and committed listener” during an the Dragon field to Trinidad’s Hibiscus plat-
extensive series of talks between representatives form,” he stated.
of the US government and various Caribbean Hibiscus is an offshore gas field being devel-
countries. These discussions will help bolster oped by Shell (UK), which will also be a part-
energy security in the region and reduce reliance ner in the Dragon project. Shell had expected
on fuel imported from Russia and other outside to lead the development of Dragon in 2018, and
suppliers, he said. Rowley indicated that the multinational was
still slated to serve as operator. Even though
Gas for Jamaica, DR OFAC has granted the waiver to NGC and
The prime minister did not divulge full details PdVSA is technically the owner of the Dragon
of Harris’ participation in the process, but the field, Shell will operate the project, he said.
US vice president’s office issued a statement in- It is not immediately clear how the US
dicating that Trinidad and Tobago’s deal with expects to benefit from this new development.
PdVSA was designed to boost gas supplies in US companies are already involved in LNG
the Caribbean region. deliveries to both Jamaica and the Dominican
“The vice president conveyed to the prime Republic, as New Fortress Energy (NFE) is
minister that the Treasury Department would active in the former country and AES is active
take action to help meet the region’s long-term in the latter. ™

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