Could the State-owned mothballed refinery restart operations sometime in the New Year?
This was the question TV6 News posed to the Energy Minister after his announcement today about what he said are the preliminary findings of the report of the committee examining the restart of the refinery.
The announcement was made at the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad & Tobago conference on Tuesday.
00:00We are convinced, given the preliminary findings, that we can begin refining, albeit in a staged or phased basis, to ensure that we return the refinery to production, we earn the foreign exchange, generate the revenue, and importantly, create the jobs that are needed for Trinidad and Tobago.
00:21The announcement by Energy Minister Dr. Rudal Munilal during the AmCham TNT-HSSE conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
00:29The state-owned oil refinery and pointer pair was closed down by the former PNM administration in late 2018 as part of its stated restructuring of the state oil company.
00:40Since the UNC and its coalition of interests, which includes the oil fields workers' trade union, the OWTU, won the 2025 general election, Prime Minister Kamala Passat-Bassess has expressed her administration's commitment to get the refinery restarted.
00:56Dr. Munilal said the committee has almost completed its work.
01:00It is now doing its final draft to be submitted to the government.
01:06It has inspected and pronounced on all units at that facility, and they have also explored the financial implications arising from a restart.
01:18OWTU President General Ansel Roger was at the conference.
01:21It would not have been shut down in the first place, and therefore the committee's report and the minister's confidence in that report, we share that vision that the refinery can be restarted, and we can begin operation where the country will benefit.
01:42Of course, in a phase basis, we are of that view.
01:47During our interview, the OWTU's representative in the government, Minister in the Ministry of Energy, Ernesto Kessar, happened to walk by.
01:55In terms of the refinery restart, and an idea of how soon, could it be early next year? Is that something that you'd have to wait to find out about?
02:05Yeah, I'd rather not comment. I heard the other third minister just a while ago made an announcement.
02:11I know that's a very, very valuable announcement, and I'm sure in the upcoming days and weeks, you'll hear a little more.
02:18But I'll leave it for Minister Tadibu.
02:19A short time later, Minister Munilal spoke with the media.
02:23The report was due in November. We are in November, and I've been in touch with the committee, and they assure me that before the end of November, the report will be in our hands.
02:35And it is something that we will have to consider at the level of the Cabinet.
02:40The energy minister spoke about key requirements.
02:44The safety specifications to ensure that there's a safe restart is very important, and that has to do with international certification and standards and protocols.
02:54So do you think once all that is accomplished, that maybe within the second or third quarter or fourth quarter of next year, that you could actually see operations resume at the refinery?
03:07Well, as I said, there's an issue of not just technical specifications, but financial costs.
03:12And we are now working, the committee is now working, I understand, on the financial and commercial side of it.
03:18And where the commercial side is concerned, the OWTU's Patriotic Energies Company had unsuccessfully bid for the refinery before the 2025 general election.
03:29Well, we certainly will have a major role to play in that restart and operation effort going forward.
03:36As you know, the OWTU has representation on the restart committee, so they are already involved in shaping that report.
03:45And their role, future role, would be determined by the contents of the report.
03:50Dr. Munilal expressed his optimism.
03:52We are hoping that if all goes well in the new year, early in the new year, we could lay out the options quickly, given, you know, what would be required technically, what would be required financially.
04:04Minister Munilal said Prime Minister Prasad-Besessa has a very strong interest in this matter.
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