The Energy Minister has declared that there is a model to run a gas pipeline to this country from Suriname .
However, a former Energy Minister says that is not feasible and insists Venezuela cannot be left out of any such project as the Government is not budging from its plan to get the supply of natural gas from CARICOM neighbours.
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.
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