Trinidad and Tobago’s Energy Industry

Trinidad and Tobago: a time of transition

Trinidad and Tobago’s oil and gas industry has had operations for more than a century and now supports the largest hydrocarbons production in the Caribbean. In the 1990s, the country successfully transitioned from an oil-dominated industry towards becoming a major gas producer. The country is a major LNG exporter and one of the leading suppliers in the Americas, hosting one of the largest LNG processing plants in the Western Hemisphere. The energy industry remains a key pillar for the economy, representing around 45% of its GDP despite the country’s efforts to diversify its industrial output. The upstream sector is governed by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, while state-owned NGC plays a central role in aggregating and transporting gas. The sector has attracted many international stakeholders such as BP, Shell, Perenco and, most recently, ExxonMobil.

Due to a slowdown in upstream investment, the island has experienced declining gas production since 2014 and output is expected to remain tight in the near term, although several new offshore projects are expected to add supply later this decade. Because the country has such an abundant pool of gas resources, its gas processing and petrochemicals sectors have thrived. However, severe gas shortages in recent years have forced several midstream and downstream companies, including Atlantic and Methanol Holdings, to scale back activity. While traditional hydrocarbons reserves have dwindled, the island nation has made significant recent finds in its deepwater blocks to balance the country’s gas reserves with its production rate.

“The government is securing investors for the new industrial estates in its drive to expand foreign direct investment, diversify the economy and create employment opportunities for the people of Trinidad and Tobago. The focus on the energy industry is to increase production of both oil and natural gas,” Franklin Khan, former minister of energy and energy industries, told The Energy Year. “We are now in full thrust towards a trajectory of sustained growth and development and contributing to our sovereign wealth whilst stimulating foreign direct investment in our economy. It is a clear signal that our energy sector is the place to invest.”