“The light of oil and gas will also shine.”
That’s according to Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, Dr Roodal Moonilal, who expressed confidence in the future of Trinidad and Tobago’s energy sector, linking the message of Divali to what he says is the eventual restart of refinery operations at Pointe-a-Pierre.
The symbolism of light overcoming darkness was at the centre of Minister Moonilal’s Divali message on Tuesday evening, as he hosted a Divali event called ‘Oorja’in his constituency of Oropouche East.
“The next year, of course, will be challenging but will also be successful. The light of oil and gas will also shine, and it is a matter of time before we light a very large deya in Pointe-a-Pierre.”
Beyond the religious significance of the festival, Minister Moonilal used that symbolism to paint a hopeful picture for Trinidad and Tobago’s energy future.
“It is a matter of time before we light a very large deya or two or three or four at Pointe-a-Pierre, when that night will also be a glorious night to see that sight. We are now in our final stage. As I said before, we are following the law.”
The Energy Minister explained that the Government is carefully following the legal process to avoid any future challenges and thanked the Refinery Restart Committee for its ongoing commitment to get the refinery up and running.
“We don’t want to do anything, and somebody jump up and they sue. You know, you have some people now, you never see them in a courthouse in their life. Suddenly, they’re in courthouse running up and down to stop this, stop housing, stop drain, stop road, stop everything. We don’t want that. We are following a process that, yes, takes a little time, but we are sure with that process it is unchallengeable, unimpeachable, and we will get through with the Guaracara refinery. I want to thank Gautam and his team of the Restart Committee for their efforts.”
The Government first announced the establishment of the Refinery Restart Committee in July 2025, with Dr Moonilal saying that a Note was submitted to the Cabinet to establish the committee to develop a reactivation strategy for the Guaracara refinery.