CERAWEEK-Trinidad in talks with US for BP gas project shared with Venezuela -min

The government of Trinidad and Tobago has begun talks with the United States for a license that would allow the joint development of a gas project shared with Venezuela, the Caribbean nation's energy minister said on Thursday. The Cocuina-Manakin areas are part of Plataforma Deltana massive gas project on the Venezuela side of their maritime border, which remains idled.

The government of Trinidad and Tobago has begun talks with the United States for a license that would allow the joint development of a gas project shared with Venezuela, the Caribbean nation's energy minister said on Thursday.

The Cocuina-Manakin areas are part of Plataforma Deltana massive gas project on the Venezuela side of their maritime border, which remains idled. On Trinidad's side, BP operates the field and is moving toward a financial decision to develop it. Minister Stuart Young said he hopes Washington will grant the license this year, similar to the 2023 approval granted for the Dragon gas project in Venezuela, to be developed by Shell and Trinidad's National Gas Company (NGC).

Shell and NGC have started preparations for Dragon's pre-FEED (Front-End Engineering and Design), a pivotal stage to ensures economical feasibility. Trinidad's government expects Shell will be ready to make a final investment decision on Dragon next year, Young said.