Gas shortages hurting Trinidad’s LNG production

Trinidad and Tobago’s sole LNG producing company, Atlantic LNG said production at its 14.8 mtpa Point Fortin facility is “suffering badly” from gas supply shortages in the country.

“Atlantic is suffering badly from gas supply shortages every day. The Atlantic plant is now at record low levels of utilisation and we are failing to deliver on our LNG commitments,” Atlantic’s CEO Nigel Darlow said in a statement.

“It is hurting Atlantic and it is hurting the global reputation of Trinidad as a reliable producer of LNG,” Darlow said.

According to data by Trinidad’s Ministry of Energy, LNG production in the first quarter of this year stood at 6.6 million m³, almost 18 percent down as compared to the same period a year before.

On the other hand, Trinidad’s gas production averaged 3.596 billion ft³/d, or 11 percent lower as compared to the first quarter in 2015, the data showed.

Trinidad’s production of LNG was down 7 percent in 2015 to 28.9 million m³ when compared to the year before.

Atlantic produces the chilled fuel from natural gas delivered from offshore fields north and east of Trinidad owned and operated by affiliates of Atlantic’s members and others.

The company is owned by BP, Shell, China’s sovereign wealth fund CIC unit Summer Soca and Trinidad’s state-owned company NGC.

LNG World News Staff