The Minister of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI), Dr. Roodal Moonilal, has praised Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC for her “steadfast and determined leadership” in securing United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) General License 50, which authorises a defined set of companies to undertake transactions related to oil and gas operations in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
In a statement, he said this milestone was the culmination of extensive work since April 2025 by the incoming United National Congress (UNC) administration and the sustained diplomatic efforts led by the Prime Minister both domestically and internationally.
The Energy Minister also extended his gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs and the Office of the Attorney General for their pivotal contributions to securing this breakthrough.
“I was always confident that our strategies and energy diplomacy will triumph to secure our economic advancement. We welcome the US government’s decision to issue general licenses, which we believe support our efforts to move forward with the cross-border natural gas projects.”
Hailing the move as “a significant development for our national energy landscape”, Minister Moonilal said the activities allowed under General License 50 will help advance cross-border gas projects, enabling gas from Venezuelan fields to be transported through local infrastructure into T&T’s energy system.
“This is a significant development for our national energy landscape. The activities enabled under General License 50 support progress on cross‑border gas initiatives that will allow gas from Venezuelan fields to be transported through our upstream infrastructure, into Trinidad and Tobago’s energy system. This creates a pathway for additional gas supply to reach Atlantic LNG and the petrochemical sector, bolstering long‑term energy security and supporting economic stability.”
Minister Moonilal said the government remains committed to safeguarding our national interests, strengthening regional energy cooperation, and ensuring that Trinidad and Tobago benefits from secure, sustainable, and internationally compliant access to natural gas.