The prospect of collaboration between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago in the oil and gas sector has surfaced again following a disclosure by T&T’s state-owned National Energy Company that its itinerary for 2023 could include participation in oil and gas forums here.
The Trinidad Guardian reported earlier this month that in pursuit of its mission of promoting the twin-island Republic’s energy sector and accelerate the export of its services the National Energy Company had said it would be targeting the 2023 Guyana Energy Conference & Expo, 2023 Suriname Oil and Gas Summit, and the 2023 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.
Guyana’s oil discovery back in 2015 had triggered local expectations that T&T, by virtue of the credentials that it had chalked up at the level of the twin-island Republic’s oil and gas sector would feature prominently as Guyana commenced the establishment of an oil and gas sector of its own. Back in 2016 it had been reported in the media here that Guyana had accepted an offer of technical assistance from T&T in developing its oil and gas sector and that following that meeting T&T ‘s Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre had met with then Guyana President David Granger and Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman.
This new initiative to work with the oil and gas sector in Guyana, the T&T state-owned company says, is part of its overall strategy to grow its energy services sector which includes “on-going collaboration with key stakeholders—including (but not limited to) the Energy Chamber, T&T Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI), Ministry of Trade and Industries (MTI); operationalizing of an Energy Services Export Framework and Implementation Plan; conducting on-going Market Research and Intelligence and a promotional Programme —including (but not limited to) joint participation in selected events/conferences/seminars, trade missions and advertising products,” the Guardian report said. The company is further quoted as saying that “In 2023, National Energy, along with MEEI, (Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries) intends to market T&T’s energy services to jurisdictions which are attracting both established and emerging energy industries”.
National Energy is also quoted as saying that it intends to participate in Suriname’s Oil and Gas Summit next year as well as in the 2023 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas. The company believes that these platforms “will provide the most appropriate opportunities for maximum exposure of T&T’s offerings in the energy services sector to various countries (regionally and internationally),” the Guardian quotes the company as saying.
Recently, the government in Port of Spain disclosed that it had appointed National Energy as the lead agency responsible for T&T’s export promotion of Energy Services, under the direction of Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries.
Referring to a media release the Guardian says that National Energy will work closely with the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries and other key stakeholders “on the development and implementation of a National Energy Service Export Strategy,” which strategy “will ensure there is a coordinated approach to increasing the promotion of export of energy services, regionally and internationally.”
