00:00You've seen last week, Friday, a vessel setting off from Trinidad Shores to the Dragonfield
00:06to do the surveying so we can know where to lay the pipeline to bring the gas from Dragon
00:12to Trinidad and Tobago.
00:13So what we've seen in the energy sector is a resurgence, much investment, a good future
00:18being provided for Trinidad and Tobago.
00:21The optimistic outlook from Energy Minister Stuart Young as he made reference to the deal
00:25for the supply of natural gas from Venezuela's Dragonfield to Trinidad and Tobago as he appeared
00:31before the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives as it examined the
00:362025 budgetary allocation to the Energy Ministry.
00:40On September 27th, three days before the Finance Minister read the budget statement in the
00:45House of Representatives, there was this statement from Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley about progress
00:50being made with regard to the Dragonfield and another field of natural gas in Venezuela's
00:55waters, Manikin Coquino.
00:58So that gives us confidence that we will have a strong flow of gas coming from on the border
01:03and cross-border in the medium term.
01:07The period between now and 2027, second quarter, would be one of difficulty for the people
01:12of Trinidad and Tobago because the current levels at which we are producing and the market
01:19situation would cause us or should cause us to be responsible.
01:25The Prime Minister called on the population to quote, hold the fort with a very good view
01:30and good confidence that come 2027 we will be in a better position with this industry
01:36end quote.
01:38Energy Minister Young gave what appeared to be an updated position from the government
01:42at the Standing Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday.
01:45The country and in fact the global energy sector is in fact seeing all the pieces of
01:51the puzzle come together and I can say now to the population of Trinidad and Tobago that
01:56between now and 2027 they will see direct foreign investment in Trinidad and Tobago
02:03in the energy sector of over 10 billion US dollars and that that will also produce revenue
02:11for Trinidad and Tobago.
02:12Minister Young then spoke about developments in the global and local energy sectors in
02:17the government's 2024 financial year which ended on September 30th of this year and the
02:23beginning of its 2025 financial year on October 1st of this year.
02:28What we've seen in the last fiscal is the dragon, the coquina mannequin.
02:33We've seen in international energy news in fact in the last 48 hours the announcement
02:38of further investment in manatee by Shell with the various subcontracts.
02:44Manatee contains 2.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas which is in Trinidad and Tobago's
02:48waters which was delinked from the Loran manatee field after negotiations between the government
02:53and Venezuela.
02:55The Standing Finance Committee approved the $675.2 million 2025 allocation to the Energy
03:03Ministry.
03:04Jule Brown, TV6 News.
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