Trinidad gas output dips for 5th straight month

The latest figures from Trinidad and Tobago reveal that natural gas production fell for a fifth straight month in August, impacted by market and structural challenges.

Production in August averaged 79Mm3/d (million cubic meters), or 2.8Bf3/d (billion cubic feet), down nearly 34% year-on-year and shy of the recent historic low of 77.8Mm3/d recorded in August 2016, energy ministry data show.

During BP’s 2020 energy outlook presentation, the group’s chief economist, Spencer Dale, highlighted increasing competition across fuels.

“You can see this most naturally for gas, where gas is having to compete far more competitively against renewable energy in the power sector,” said Dale.

According to ministry metrics, gas utilization for the manufacture of ammonia and methanol, and for LNG – all primarily destined for export – has slid this year through August.

In his inaugural speech as the new chairman of The Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago, Dwight Mahabir said that “if Trinidad & Tobago is only able to be a ‘swing-producer’ of petrochemicals, there will be serious implications for the viability of our entire gas sector – upstream, downstream and midstream.”

Mahabir called for a greater focus on the ease of doing business, particularly the approval process for upstream gas projects, and welcomed proposed sector changes in finance minister Colm Imbert’s 2021 budget presentation.

The Caribbean country’s authorities and stakeholders expect that economic recovery will add new impetus to projects under development.

Read Touchstone announces natural gas discovery at Chinook, Matapal on track for 2022, bpTT starts up Galeota expansion project, Inaugural Loadout of Methanol at the Port of Brighton and Announcement of The Drilling of The BHP Broadside Well

In related news, energy logistics provider Peterson reported that it had reached agreement with OneSubsea to support the latter’s work on Matapal.

And BHP is accepting expressions of interest for the planned tender of the identification phase study concept associated with the Calypso project as part of the development of gas discoveries at offshore blocks 23(a) and TTDAA 14. Information is available at susan.allen@bhp.com

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