Development drilling in Trinidad and Tobago’s Central Block has resumed for the first time since 2006, the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI) confirmed on Monday. The Carapal Ridge-3 development well marks the restart of activity in the onshore natural gas block after a 19-year gap.
The announcement was made by Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, Roodal Moonilal, and Minister within the Ministry, Ernesto Kesar.
They extended congratulations to Touchstone Trinidad Central Block, which now operates the acreage under an Exploration and Production Licence. Touchstone assumed operatorship from Shell Trinidad Central Block Limited on May 16, 2025.
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Touchstone currently produces about 21 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day (mmscf/d) from the block. Since acquiring it, the company reviewed remaining resources and outlined plans to drill four development wells. Carapal Ridge-3 is the first in that campaign. Production is expected to start in February 2026.
If all four wells deliver as planned, output from Central Block is forecast to rise above 50 mmscf/d. MEEI said it worked with Touchstone to start drilling three weeks earlier than scheduled, in line with its effort to accelerate upstream activity.
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The Ministry said the new drilling program brings much-needed natural gas to market and signals renewed momentum in the country’s onshore fields. It added that it looks forward to continued collaboration with operators to support the revitalization of Trinidad and Tobago’s energy sector.
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