Venezuela moves to suspend all gas deals with Trinidad over U.S. alignment

Reuters

Venezuelan Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez announced on Monday (October 27) that she will propose suspending a broad energy cooperation agreement with Trinidad and Tobago, including ongoing joint gas projects currently under negotiation.

The previous Trinidadian government had been pursuing a number of joint ventures with Venezuela, notably the 4.2 trillion cubic feet Dragon gas field to be developed by Shell and the National Gas Company of Trinidad (NGC), which recently secured a U.S. license. However, the new administration of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has not been viewed as an ally by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Since taking office in April, Persad-Bissessar’s government has maintained close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, even as tensions between Washington and Caracas have deepened.

Rodriguez criticised the U.S. authorization granted to Trinidad to negotiate the Dragon project with sanctioned Venezuela, warning that Trinidad would be required to pay for any future gas supplies. The offshore Dragon field, located in Venezuelan waters, has faced repeated delays due to U.S. policy shifts since Washington imposed energy sanctions on Caracas in 2019.

Neither Trinidad’s government nor the companies involved — Shell, NGC and BP — immediately responded to requests for comment.

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