00:01TV6 News spoke with Energy Minister Dr. Rudal Munilal shortly before he was joined by Minister
00:07in the Ministry of Energy, Ernesto Kisar, and Oil Fees Workers Trade Union President General
00:12Ansel Roger, where deers were lit at an oil rig-like structure during a 2026 Diwali event
00:19held in Debe outside the Orupuch East constituency office.
00:23The power of light, I mean, a very important message here is that this is Diwali is celebrated
00:31on the darkest night in the darkest period, and it tells you the power, that that is when
00:36light has its greatest power. And if you take one day, you could light a million days.
00:41The union has sought to have the flame at the mothballed state-owned oil refinery and pointer
00:47pair going again, ever since it was closed in late 2018 as part of a restructuring of
00:53the state oil company by the former PNM-led government. TV6 News has sought the latest
00:59update about the UNC-led government's efforts to get the refinery restarted since it took office
01:06in 2025.
01:07We are very excited about the refinery restart. We have now completed a very important period,
01:13and we will approach Cabinet, I think, within a few days, if not a week, a few days, we'll
01:18approach Cabinet on approving another phase, which is the RFP. So we go out for an RFP,
01:25we will put it in the newspaper, social media, and so on, that anyone, any group, any entity
01:30in the world would have an interest. They will send their proposals, and based upon their interests,
01:36we will then share what would be confidential information on the refinery and so on within a
01:42legal framework. So that is taking place now as we speak.
01:47That's not all Dr. Munyalal had to say about the facility.
01:51Let's put it this way. Before the next Diwali, we will light the refinery. We will have lights
01:58at the refinery before the next Diwali. I predict if all goes well.
02:02And that is a very interesting prediction. So how long from the RFP process as it starts,
02:09request for proposals, to...
02:11The RFP leads to the request for proposals, of course, and then you have a committee. We'll
02:16look at them, and we'll make a selection in terms of what is the best, the better deal
02:20for Trinidad and Tobago, and for the private investor, because this business, as you know,
02:25is a, you know, it's 500 million United States dollar type operation, and it requires a significant
02:33capital outlay that we have often said that the government itself cannot undertake.
02:38The former PNM-led government said Petritrin, as it was then called, was billions of dollars
02:43in debt, but failed to sell or lease the refinery before it lost the 2025 general election.
02:50Although it has been down for a few years, I think about seven years or so,
02:54we are told by the experts that they can, they can restart. It is quite possible, and in
03:01fact, recently on a tour, we were informed by experts that it was in, not, it was not
03:07in a bad state. So we are very optimistic.
03:09Since the refinery's closure, Trinidad and Tobago has been importing refined crude oil
03:14products, such as gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel. And in terms of the, those who are seeking
03:21interest in restarting the refinery in the RFP process, would they also have to secure
03:26a supply of crude oil for the refinery also?
03:29Well, Trinidad and Tobago, as you know, has always been an importer of crude oil for the
03:33refinery. We imported crude oil, incidentally, from Venezuela, from the Dominican Republic,
03:37and from Africa, we imported crude oil. We had never been able to supply completely the
03:43refinery for its, for its operations. So that the supply of crude oil to me is not a big challenge,
03:49because, as I say, we are, we are next to neighbors.
03:51Apart from Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago's other close South American neighbor, Guyana,
03:56is experiencing a major oil boom.
03:59Even if the crude is not of the specifications, the technology has reached the point now where
04:05they actually can use the technology to modify. So you have the input that you want. Then we
04:12can swap oil for products as well. That's one approach that we can look at. So it is extremely
04:18exciting. And I mean, it is, it's an amazing thing to be one hour away from 1.7 million barrels
04:25of oil
04:26per day.
04:27In an apparent reference to the ongoing events in the Middle East, Dr. Munilal said, quote,
04:32the refinery has become an attractive option within the last year, within this year, because
04:37globally, as you know, there are serious concerns about the supply of fuel products, end quote.
04:43Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
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