Caption: Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal, right, with Presidnet of bpTT David Campbell at he company’s Pan Yard Lime on Thursday. AZP News/Prior Beharry

 

 

Summary

• Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal says India’s Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is expected to visit Trinidad and Tobago after Carnival to advise on restarting the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.
• The IOC visit was agreed “in principle” during India Energy Week in Goa (Jan 27–30), where refinery revival talks featured heavily.
• Moonilal says IOC is not seeking to buy the refinery; discussions are focused on technical support, safety and integrity assessments, and restart planning.
• Government is also engaging other firms including Reliance Industries, ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies, alongside previously interested parties.
• Moonilal said earlier refinery-restart procurement steps by the previous administration were flagged by the OPR as not aligned with legislation, requiring a reset of process.

By Prior Beharry

ENERGY and Energy Industries Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal says representatives from the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) are expected to visit Trinidad and Tobago shortly after Carnival to provide technical advice on restarting the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.

The refinery, formerly operated by Petrotrin, was mothballed in November 2018 during a restructuring exercise and has remained closed since.

Speaking at a post-Cabinet media briefing yesterday at the Diplomatic Centre in Port-of-Spain, Moonilal said the IOC visit was agreed to in principle during India Energy Week in Goa, held from January 27 to 30, where he led Trinidad and Tobago’s delegation. He said discussions in India focused heavily on the prospects for restoring refining at Pointe-a-Pierre.

Moonilal described IOC as India’s largest state-owned integrated energy company, operating across the hydrocarbon value chain and running ten refineries. He said IOC’s experience across Asia could support the technical work required for any restart, and noted that the delegation highlighted the availability of a local workforce.

Substantive engagement is expected after Carnival, Moonilal said, adding that visiting teams would examine operations and installations on site.

He stressed that IOC has not indicated any interest in acquiring the refinery.

“The issue of bidding or leasing or selling doesn’t arise at this time,” he said, explaining that Government’s immediate focus is securing experienced partners to assist with technical due diligence such as health and safety reviews, equipment and asset integrity reporting, and other assessments needed to map a restart pathway. He said the next stage would involve financial restructuring and evaluating options available to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.

Moonilal also referenced correspondence received by the United National Congress administration in August last year from the Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR), which he said indicated that processes pursued by the previous People’s National Movement administration regarding a refinery restart were not aligned with OPR legislation. He said procedural flaws rendered that process improper, though he added that entities which previously expressed interest remain under consideration.

Companies previously linked to expressions of interest include Oando PLC, Beowulf Energy, and the Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union-backed Patriotic Energies.

Moonilal said a restart assessment report indicates resumption of operations is possible but would require significant work and investment.

Beyond IOC, he said the delegation also met Reliance Industries Limited—operator of the world’s largest single-site refinery complex in Gujarat—and that Reliance is also being engaged in discussions on the restart process. Talks were also held with ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies, with Moonilal noting TotalEnergies’ regional activity in Suriname and its interest in expanding its Caribbean presence.

He characterised India Energy Week as a success, saying discussions there reflected rising global energy demand and Trinidad and Tobago’s ambition to position itself as a regional energy hub. He said the delegation promoted the country’s newly introduced energy accelerator hub to attract investment, alongside the country’s political stability, skilled workforce and fiscal regime, and he indicated Government is prepared to consider incentives while protecting fair returns to the state.

Moonilal said the delegation also met engineering firms from Houston that service Gulf Coast refineries and signalled interest in opportunities locally, while discussions also touched on upstream potential and plans to expand deep and ultra-deep marine exploration.

He also confirmed Trinidad and Tobago has been invited to the Guyana Energy Conference from February 17–20, though the delegation has not yet been finalised. Caribbean Energy Week 2026 is scheduled for March 30 to April 1 in Suriname, he added, with attendance still to be determined.