The Energy Chamber of Trinidad & Tobago has welcomed the government’s move to accelerate approvals for energy projects, stating that faster decision-making is crucial to boosting gas supply and exports.
In a statement dated December 30, the Chamber said it “warmly welcomes the announcement” by Roodal Moonilal, Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, on plans to improve approval timelines and establish a hub to fast-track decisions in the energy sector.
The Chamber said it “fully support[s] the Minister of Energy’s focus on removing red tape in the energy sector,” noting that accelerating approvals is the first pillar of its Six-Point Plan to increase gas supply and maximize energy exports.
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The Energy Chamber pointed to findings from a study it commissioned and presented at the 2020 Trinidad and Tobago Energy Conference. The study found that upstream gas projects require 33 major approvals across eight agencies and ministries, with 16 key decisions falling outside the direct control of the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries.
According to the Chamber, the study showed that it takes an average of 12 years from the decision to hold a bid round to first gas for a typical shallow-water gas field in Trinidad and Tobago. It said shortening that timeline by just one year could increase the net present value of a typical shallow-water gas field by about US$120 million, improving the likelihood of a final investment decision.
The Chamber said the study produced, for the first time, a detailed process map of the full approvals chain. It added that at the 2024 Energy Conference, it formed a task force of young industry volunteers who worked with Ministry staff to identify workflow improvements. At the 2025 Energy Conference, the Ministry and the taskforce reported that these efforts helped improve processes for launching the 2025 deepwater bid round.
Looking ahead, the Energy Chamber said it is “keen to continue to work closely with the Ministry and other key agencies to find ways to speed up decision making, while continuing to ensure the independence of the regulators and robust decisions.”
It added that “digitisation has a crucial role to play in the approvals process,” but said workflow improvements and close stakeholder engagement are also required to deliver results. The Chamber said it “looks forward to engaging with the Ministry of Energy as we seek to accelerate the approvals processes and bring more oil and gas to market at a faster pace.”
