Govt
to step up search for natural gas: Contracts
for 15 blocks 'soon'
Trinidad
Express
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
04 15 07
As Government presses to find more gas that will
put another Liquified National Gas (LNG) train
on stream by 2009, Energy Minister Dr Lenny Saith
has said it will announce exploration contracts
for 15 blocks by the end of this month.
Saith was in Doha, Qatar, for a meeting of natural
gas-producing nations and was quoted yesterday
by two news agencies-Reuters and Bloomberg news.
(See Page 10)
The disclosure followed an announcement from Saith
in early March that a framework agreement would
be signed with Venezuela, for the sharing of oil
and natural gas reserves between the two countries.
The Loran/Manatee field, located on the maritime
boundary with Venezuela, had already been eyed
to supply some of the ten trillion cubic feet of
gas needed to begin a fifth LNG train on-line,
Saith had stated.
In Doha on Sunday, Saith told Reuters that Government
would commence a licensing round for onshore, offshore
and deep water oil and gas exploration later this
month.
In the Bloomberg news article, he is quoted as
saying yesterday that the exploration contracts
would be issued for seven onshore blocks and eight
deep water blocks, but did not identify any of
them.
The minister declined to say which companies or
how much investment the new blocks might attract.
"We
have been finding crude with associated gas,''
Saith was quoted in the article as saying.
"Some
have been even just gas.''
Trinidad and Tobago is among the 14 countries-apart
from two observer states-participating in the Gas
Exporting Countries Forum (GEFC).
Saith is scheduled to give one of three public
addresses at the event, all of which will be carefully
monitored for any indication on whether the association
will form a gas cartel equivalent to the Organisation
of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Speaking on this issue, Saith said this country
had no official position to take.
"I am neither for nor against the idea," he
said. "We have come here to listen to what
everybody has to say and then we will see."
However, he stated that this country would not
be joining any South American gas OPEC, as has
been mooted by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
The last GEFC forum was held in Trinidad and Tobago
in April 2005.
Trinidad
Express
Tuesday, April 10th 2007
Copyright
©2007 Trinidad
Express. All Rights Reserved.
.gif)