Trinidad and Tobago remains critical to bringing Venezuelan gas to market, even as new upstream agreements move forward, Energy Minister Roodal Moonilal said, according to a May 4 article by the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago.
He made the comments as a memorandum of understanding between bp and Venezuela advances plans to explore gas resources in the Loran offshore area. The Minister explained that the agreement signals renewed momentum around cross-border gas development, but does not change the commercial reality that gas from Venezuelan fields will likely require Trinidad and Tobago’s existing infrastructure to be brought to market.
Attention remains focused on the Manakin-Cocuina field, which lies along the maritime boundary between the two countries. On Trinidad’s side, bp operates Block 5b, while Cocuina lies within Venezuela’s Deltana Platform. The minister noted that the project is advancing with U.S. authorization and government engagement with bpTT.
He stated that the administration is “focused on accelerating timelines” to deliver gas, with investment expected from 2027 and first production to follow. Once online, volumes are expected to support domestic demand, increase throughput across LNG facilities, and boost petrochemical output.
Chairman of the National Gas Company (NGC) of Trinidad and Tobago, Gerald Ramdeen, indicated that engagement is already underway across multiple fields. He noted that “bpTT officials from London recently held talks at NGC on the Manakin-Cocuina field,” adding that work is progressing on projects including Dragon and Loran-Manatee with partners such as Shell.
Ramdeen also addressed concerns about competition, pointing to the country’s infrastructure base. He said the “fundamentals remain unchanged,” referencing pipelines, LNG plants, and offshore systems as key to regional gas development.
Developments in the Loran-Manatee field further reinforce this position. Loran, on Venezuela’s side, holds an estimated 7.3 trillion cubic feet of gas, while Manatee, on Trinidad’s side, contains about 2.7 trillion cubic feet. Shell is targeting first gas from Manatee in 2027, with expanded pipeline capacity to move up to one billion cubic feet per day to processing facilities in Trinidad.
