00:00Opposition MP Stuart Young, a former Prime Minister and a former Energy Minister,
00:05is not backing down from his position that any pipeline for the supply of natural gas from Guyana or Suriname to Trinidad and Tobago must involve talks with Venezuela.
00:16In a statement on his Facebook page on Wednesday, MP Young was responding to statements made by Energy Minister Dr. Rudal Munilal on Tuesday
00:24about the new UNC-led government's plans for the supply of natural gas from the two CARICOM neighbors.
00:31We have had discussions over the years and we will now intensify those discussions, I imagine, after the elections as well in Suriname
00:38because there is an ongoing interest in a pipeline from Suriname to Trinidad that can also connect to Guyana
00:48if and when Guyana produces the quantum of gas that will be for both their domestic consumption
00:54and for exports in the region, primarily Trinidad and Tobago.
00:59Energy Minister Munilal said that is why the pipeline has been in discussion for several years.
01:04MP Young specifically responded to one statement made by Minister Munilal.
01:10And the former Energy Minister is wrong.
01:12There is a model to run the pipeline outside of Venezuelan waters.
01:16Although I must say, throughout the world, pipelines are run through water on land
01:21and it is quite common with international commercial arrangements and international law
01:26to run a pipeline through other territorial waters belonging to several countries and on land.
01:33MP Young said the former PNM government to which he belonged and briefly did as Prime Minister, quote,
01:39did feasibility studies a couple of years ago
01:42and the cost of building a pipeline from Suriname assuming there is sufficient gas to export
01:47which there was not as yet and passing it around Venezuela's territorial waters
01:52would not make any commercial sense.
01:55In other words, it would be way too expensive to build a pipeline from Suriname
01:59that does not run through Venezuela's waters
02:01adding to the cost of landing the gas in Trinidad and Tobago
02:05and no one would be able to afford the gas.
02:08It simply is not commercially feasible, end quote.
02:12Minister Munilal does not share that view.
02:15There are pipelines that run through Eastern Europe, Western Europe, everywhere.
02:19I mean, there's a normal commercial and international negotiation process
02:26so there's no big thing with running a pipeline through Venezuela necessarily
02:30but there is a model for that pipeline outside of Venezuelan waters as well
02:34and it's something we have on the cards.
02:37MP Young said on Thursday that the feasibility of any pipeline project depends on a number of factors
02:43including that it has to be cost effective
02:45and the cost of landing the gas in Trinidad and Tobago
02:48has to be at a price that the local market will buy it at.
02:53Suriname is set to hold its general election on Sunday, May 25th.
02:57Guyana is expected to hold its general and regional elections later this year.
03:01The new UNC-led government is also intent on acquiring a supply of natural gas from Grenada.
03:08Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
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