00:00TV6 News sought to find out from Energy Minister Dr. Rudal Munilal if global energy giant Shell discussed with him
00:06or any other member of the government of Trinidad and Tobago that it is advancing talks with the government of
00:12Venezuela for the development of four large areas of natural gas near Trinidad and Tobago.
00:18Shell remains a very strong and collaborative legacy partner to the government of Trinidad and Tobago and we are working
00:26with Shell on an ongoing basis to look at possibilities for collaboration, for production and further opportunities for the energy
00:37infrastructure in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:40International news agency Reuters has reported that Shell is advancing its talks with Venezuela now being led by interim president
00:47Delce Rodriguez.
00:48The Express reported that Shell is already developing the manatee gas field which is on the Trinidad side of a
00:54maritime field which includes Loran which is on the Venezuelan side and that Chevron holds stakes in two blocks that
01:01include the Loran field.
01:03The Express also reported that Shell's corporate communications advisor in Port of Spain confirmed that the proximity of manatee makes
01:10Loran an attractive investment for Shell.
01:13Reuters reported that Shell is targeting access to the three fields that, along with the jargon natural gas field, are
01:19part of the 12 trillion cubic feet Mariscal Sucre project off Venezuela's eastern coast.
01:25As is already in the public domain, Shell, along with other energy companies, was granted an OFAC license earlier this
01:34year, which allows Shell to engage in oil and gas activities in Venezuela.
01:40Earlier this month, Shell also finalized a series of onshore and offshore agreements with the Venezuelan government and related companies.
01:49The Express reported that Shell expects to send gas from Venezuela to Trinidad for processing inter-liquified natural gas, or
01:56LNG.
01:57Shell is a major shareholder in the Atlantic LNG facility in Point 14.
02:02During the former PNM administration, the U.S., then led by former President Joe Biden, granted a waiver of U
02:08.S. sanctions against Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago.
02:11However, at the beginning of the administration in the U.S., being led by President Donald Trump, that license was
02:17revoked.
02:17Following a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Prime Minister Kamala Pesad-Besessa in Washington, D
02:23.C., in September of last year,
02:25Trinidad and Tobago received a new six-month license from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control.
02:31In October of last year, Venezuela's National Assembly approved a motion declaring the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, persona
02:38non grata,
02:39a move Prime Minister Pesad-Besessa had described as useless.
02:42Following the capture in January of this year of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro and his wife by U.S. forces,
02:50the U.S. granted a general license for development of petroleum resources in Venezuela in February.
02:55On Monday, the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control announced that it has lifted sanctions against Venezuela's interim President,
03:04Rodriguez.
03:05Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
03:07Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
03:08Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
03:09Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
03:09Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
03:10Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
03:10Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
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