PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Energy and Energy Industries Minister, Stuart Young, Tuesday said that he is pleased with the decision by Shell that it has taken a Final Investment Decision (FID) to proceed with its development of the Manatee gas field.
Stuart YoungManatee is a conventional gas development located in shallow water in Trinidad and Tobago and is operated by Shell Trinidad and Tobago. Manatee, discovered in 2005, lies in block Block 6 (d) with water depth of around 299 feet.
The Manatee field once commissioned, gas will supply both domestic and export markets from Trinidad and Tobago. It is part of the cross-border Loran-Manatee discovery, shared by Trinidad and Venezuela. The field is believed to hold around 10 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas, with 7.3 Tcf on Venezuela’s side and the remaining 2.7 Tcf on Trinidad’s side.
The project is currently in approval stage and is expected to start commercial production in 2028. Final investment decision (FID) of the project will be approved in 2024.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Young said that the FID is the result of significant work by Dr. Keith Rowley government “and our constant engagement with Shell and its highest leadership levels in The Hague, London and Trinidad and Tobago.
“This development will be the most significant hydrocarbon development in Trinidad and Tobago for the past couple decades and would not have happened were it not for the vision and leadership of the Prime Minister,” Young wrote.
Young said that he is “personally grateful for being given the privilege and opportunity to negotiate the agreement with the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to delink Manatee from Loran allowing us to proceed to develop the Manatee field in Trinidad and Tobago which was achieved in 2019”.
He said as a result, the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries then proceeded to negotiate and execute a Production Sharing Contract with Shell for the development of the Manatee field.
“Today’s announcement by Shell is a great achievement for Trinidad and Tobago and would not have happened were it not for this government’s confidence and competence as well as our belief in Trinidad and Tobago. It is yet another tangible result that has been delivered for the future of our country.
“I give the assurance that we will continue to deliver these deals which are essential for our energy security and the sustainability of our country’s future. de,” Young wrote.
In November last year, Shell Trinidad and Tobago announced that it had given a contract to the American engineering company McDermott for the Manatee gas field development project.
In a statement then, Shell said that subject to it taking a final investment decision, the Manatee project scope is for the design, procurement, fabrication, transportation, installation, and commissioning of a wellhead platform, offshore and onshore gas pipelines.
