Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries says it will work with Shell to explore opportunities to increase expected gas volumes from the Manatee field, as the government moves to tackle a domestic gas shortage and stabilize the country’s energy economy.
Energy Minister Dr. Roodal Moonilal said in a statement Saturday that the Ministry is “very focused on working with Shell to ensure the safe delivery of the Manatee project and first gas by 2027”. He added that in the coming months, officials will be “working with Shell to see if there are opportunities to increase the volumes of gas Manatee can bring to the Trinidad and Tobago economy”.
“This is an important step to right-siding the shortage of natural gas that we inherited in April 2025 and which has negatively impacted industrial output, government revenue and foreign exchange earnings,” Moonilal said.
Recent progress includes the arrival of the MV Vox Amalia Hopper Dredger in-country to begin trenching operations for a component of the Manatee pipeline, with related works ongoing to prepare infrastructure in Guayaguayare.
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Moonilal praised Shell’s performance on the project and noted that Manatee has spanned several administrations and is underpinned by decades of cross-border agreements. “Manatee is a project which has been in the making for several years,” the Minister said, pointing to a 2003 Memorandum of Understanding and subsequent treaties that allowed the field to be de-unitized from the Loran-Manatee reservoir shared with Venezuela and developed independently under a production sharing contract with Shell.
The statement followed concerns raised by former Prime Minister Stuart Young about whether current tensions with Venezuela could impact the future of the Manatee project.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had on Thursday warned that deadly force could be used against unidentified vessels entering Trinidad’s waters from Venezuela, citing a “veiled threat” from a Venezuelan official.
Persad-Bissessar’s remarks drew criticism from former PM Young, who cautioned that any escalation with Caracas could jeopardize key cross-border energy arrangements, including the Manatee project. “What happens if Venezuela decides now to cancel this arrangement?” Young asked. “It would lead to financial disaster for Trinidad and Tobago.”
Despite these concerns, the government appears intent on keeping the project on track. “I am very pleased with the progress Shell is making with the Manatee project,” Moonilal said.
