ExxonMobil signs deal to explore for oil and gas near Trinidad despite criticism

Key Points

• ExxonMobil has signed a deal to explore for oil and gas in a region off Trinidad’s east coast, covering over 2,700 square miles and reaching depths of more than 2,000 feet.
• The deal, which followed six months of negotiations, intends to initiate a geophysical survey within six months to identify possible drilling prospects.
• Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister emphasized the need for energy security while committing to reduce carbon emissions throughout the project.
• This agreement comes after a halted partnership between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela due to U.S. sanctions affecting their energy industry.

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — ExxonMobil signed a deal on Tuesday to explore a vast area near Trinidad and Tobago for oil and gas, even as the twin-island nation faces pressure to focus more on green energy deals.

The search will take place off Trinidad’s east coast, in a region that spans more than 2,700 square miles (7,000 square kilometers) and is more than 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) deep, according to government officials.

The deal was signed following six months of negotiations that were held at a record pace, said John Ardill, ExxonMobil’s vice president of global exploration.

There are “no guarantees of success,” Ardill cautioned during the ceremony. “But many of the largest discoveries and developments in the world are occurring in deep-water environments similar to what you have here.”

Ardill said ExxonMobil is committed to starting a geophysical survey in the next six months to collect data needed to identify prospects for oil and gas, after which, it will begin drilling for testing.

Using nearby Guyana as an example, Ardill said it took the country less than five years to start producing oil after the initial discovery. He noted that 10 years after that discovery, Guyana is currently producing around 650,000 barrels of oil per day.

“We see great potential to replicate the Guyana success here,” Ardill told the audience in Trinidad.

While promising to help expedite the process, Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the necessary oversight and guardrails will be in place to ensure standards are not compromised.

The prime minister said the agreement with ExxonMobil provides additional energy security for the Caribbean nation of approximately 1.4 million people. She noted that while there would be efforts to reduce carbon emissions during the project, Trinidad and Tobago would not hold back on using its energy resources.

“The Northern Hemisphere developed their countries to the fullest and are now trying to put on us that we should clamp down on our carbon emissions, (that) we should look not too much to hydrocarbons,” Persad-Bissessar said. “Trinidad and Tobago has a competitive advantage when it comes to hydrocarbons, when it comes to the energy sector, and we should not lightly surrender that.”

ExxonMobil first began operations in the twin-island republic in February 1998, but left in 2003 after its exploration efforts were unsuccessful.

The ExxonMobil deal comes after a planned energy production partnership involving Trinidad and Tobago and neighboring Venezuela was halted by the U.S. government revoking two Office of Foreign Assets Control licenses for the partnership. The licenses were necessary due to U.S. sanctions against Venezuela’s energy industry.

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This story corrects the depth of the area to be explored to 6,500 feet (2,000 meters).