By 2030, Guyana is projected to produce approximately 1.125 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of natural gas, which is 45% of Trinidad and Tobago’s current gas production of 2.51 bcf/d.
This marks a shift in regional energy dynamics, as Trinidad, a longstanding oil and gas producer for over a century, is facing declining output in both sectors, while Guyana’s energy industry is rapidly expanding.
Guyana started producing oil in 2019 and is already in the early stages of developing its gas resources. In 2025, the country will bring online its first small gas project (Gas-to-Energy) producing 50 million cubic feet per day (mcf/d). A second small project, expected within a few years, could add another 70–75 mcf/d, bringing total gas production to around 125 mcf/d.
ExxonMobil Guyana President, Alistair Routledge, told reporters Wednesday that its Longtail project will target gas production up to 1 bcf/d, alongside oil production that could be as high as 250,000 barrels per day (b/d).
With production targeted for a 2030 start, Longtail would be the first ExxonMobil Guyana project to extract natural gas that is not a by-product of crude production.
Trinidad, once a dominant force in regional energy, has seen its oil production decline sharply and is now struggling to sustain gas output. The fact that Guyana, a newcomer to the industry, could achieve nearly half of Trinidad’s gas production in less than two decades underscores a shifting axis of energy production in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Guyana already surpassed Trinidad in total hydrocarbon production last year, based on its oil production rate compared to Trinidad’s production of oil and gas.
Trinidad’s Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries published data that shows natural gas production from January to October 2024 averaged 2.51 bcf/d, while oil and condensate production averaged 50,684 b/d in the same period.
Guyana’s oil production averaged 616,000 b/d in 2024 but is expected to increase to an average of 674,000 b/d in 2025. The addition of the Yellowtail project later this year will increase production capacity to more than 900,000 b/d.
