The Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI) notes the recent issuance of the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) General License 50, which authorizes a defined set of companies to undertake transactions related to oil and gas operations in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
This is a result of an enormous amount of work since April 2025 by the incoming United National Congress (UNC) administration and the unrelenting advocacy of The Honourable Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissesar S.C., M.P. within Trinidad and Tobago and abroad. We congratulate the Honourable Prime Minister for her steadfast and determined leadership. We also express gratitude to the Minister and the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs and the Office of the Attorney General for the pivotal roles played to achieve this path breaking moment of success.
While the former Energy Minister was mouthing off inanities each day we were working smartly and planning.
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.
The Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries will continue to engage proactively with all relevant partners to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago responsibly maximizes the opportunities presented by this development. We remain committed to safeguarding our national interests, strengthening regional energy cooperation, and ensuring that our country benefits from secure, sustainable, and internationally compliant access to natural gas. 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.