Fossil Energy – Trinidad and Tobago
This week, executives from the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) met with the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries in Trinidad and Tobago to discuss expanding the company’s presence in the country’s energy sector.
The meeting, which took place on Thursday, brought together Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal, Minister in the Ministry Ernesto Kesar, and senior officials with CNOOC International Chairman Liu Yongjie and his team, the Trinidad Energy Ministry announced.
CNOOC is part of the ExxonMobil-led consortium developing Guyana’s Stabroek Block, in which it holds a 25% working interest in the deep-water field containing an estimated 11 billion barrels of recoverable resources. CNOOC also holds a 12.5% stake in Trinidad’s Block 2(c) project through its subsidiary, Chaoyang Petroleum Ltd.
The visit follows ExxonMobil’s return to Trinidad’s energy landscape through its participation in the ultra-deep offshore block awarded earlier this year, signalling renewed international interest in the twin-island nation’s upstream potential.
During the discussions, CNOOC executives expressed strong interest in increasing investment and operational activity in Trinidad and Tobago. Minister Moonilal welcomed this engagement, stating that it ‘comes at a time when the government is committed to revitalising the energy sector’.
According to the ministry, both parties agreed that the talks represented the beginning of a long-term working relationship aimed at advancing exploration and development opportunities in the country’s deep-water acreage.
CNOOC is China’s third-largest national oil company and the world’s second-largest trader of liquefied natural gas. It operates on six continents and has interests in several deep-water projects in Guyana, Nigeria, and Brazil.
