Kevin Ramnarine says Major Oil, Gas Discoveries in South Trinidad Coming

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RIO CLARO – SOUTH Trinidad is on the verge of major oil and natural gas discoveries.

This is the prediction of former energy minster Kevin Ramnarine speaking during the United National Congress (UNC) Pavement Report at the Rio Claro Presbyterian School on Wednesday.

Ramnarine said when he took up the mantle of minster of energy, oil production on land in Trinidad was in decline.

He said, “We were getting a lot of challenges in increasing oil production on land in Petrotrin.”

                    Kevin Ramnarine

Ramnarine said the solution was to look for all the land acreage in South Trinidad and put it together for bidding.

He said on October 31, 2014, three companies Range Resources of the UK, Touchstone Operators of Canada and Lease Operators Limited of Trinidad were awarded three blocks by the Ministry of Energy.

Ramnarine, who was Minister of Energy between 2011 and 2015, said, “Five years later…there is unprecedented levels of exploration taking place all around you (in Rio Claro) as a result of the contracts that were signed.”

He predicted major discoveries by Touchstone in the Ortoire Block and Lease Operators in the Rio Claro Block.

Ramnarine said once his prediction comes to pass this would mean the resuscitation of the economy of southeastern Trinidad.

And speaking at the same meeting, Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal called on Energy Minister Franklin Khan to clarify the role of Arlene Chow as interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Heritage Petroleum Company Limited.

He said she was appointed in a “most dubious and suspicious manner” to replace Mike Wylie.

Moonilal said there was some contradiction in her appointment as Heritage issued a newsletter saying Chow was the new CEO while the communications officer said she was the interim CEO.

He said, “There can be no interim CEO who is recruited externally. Such a position is normally filled by an internal manager.”

Moonilal asked, “So if Chow is a substantive CEO, when was the position advertised?  When did interviews take place? Who interviewed candidates? What is Chow’s compensation?”

He called on Khan to say whether she was temporary or permanent.

Referring to a new cricket rule, Moonilal said it seemed that Chow was a “concussion sub” – a substitute who replaces a batsman who suffers a concussion during play. It occurred recently in the second Test match between West Indies and India at Sabina Park in Jamaica where Jermaine Blackwood replaced Darren Bravo who was hit on the helmet while batting.

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