The Trinidad and Tobago government has described as “false and internationally misleading” a report in an international publication indicating that the country is prepared to reject bids from oil companies, BP Plc and Shell Plc, for offshore exploration bids.
The report, quoting “people familiar with the matter” claimed that the Keith Rowley government “is preparing to reject four exploration bids” by the international oil companies “because they failed to meet the government’s minimum requirements”.
In a statement, the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries said the author of the article published in a leading international news agency had “gotten his story wrong” and that the intention was to mislead “not only the population of Trinidad and Tobago but now so, a wider global audience”.
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The statement said Energy and Energy Industries Minister Stuart R. Young, informed the population “on several occasions” that the government “will be engaging in discussions and negotiations with both bpTT and Shell Trinidad and Tobago with respect to their bids for four deep-water blocks”,
It said that “both bpTT and Shell Trinidad and Tobago were informed weeks ago that the Ministry would be engaging them in discussions and negotiations pertaining to their bids for the four deep-water blocks and the parties are expected to commence these discussions and negotiations in January 2023”.
As a result, the government said “this irresponsible journalism…is condemned and rejected”.
Trinidad and Tobago’s deep-water bid round closed in June with an offer from a BP-Shell consortium on four of the 17 blocks.
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