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Guyana eyes refining crude in T&T – Pres. Ali
(Kaieteur News) – President Irfaan Ali has confirmed that his administration intends to engage the Government of Trinidad and Tobago directly on a potential collaboration that would see Guyana’s crude oil refined in the twin-island state.
T&T Guardian recently reported that the prospect of Guyanese crude being refined in Trinidad and Tobago has emerged as a key element of an energy strategy outlined by Ali during a recent visit.
President Irfaan Ali
Discussions around Guyana supplying crude to support the restart of Trinidad’s idle refining capacity have gained traction in recent months. The country’s Energy Minister, Dr. Roodal Moonilal, indicated while attending a conference in Guyana back in February had pointed out that the country could play a key part in the restart of the refinery. The minister had disclosed that the facility can process about 150,000 barrels of oil daily but will require petroleum from regional partners. At the same event, Guyana’s Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, disclosed that the two CARICOM states are already in discussion to look at the possibility of having that refinery restart.
Speaking to the Sunday Business Guardian, at the Hyatt Regency on Friday, Ali framed this integration as a non-negotiable response to a shifting global market.
He argued that the era of hesitation must end, as the economic cost of delay grows increasingly steep, calling for a disciplined, private-sector-led integration of cross-border gas and refinery assets.
Central to this blueprint is the potential reactivation of T&T’s idle refining capacity to process Guyanese crude.
Ali confirmed he is prepared to engage the T&T Government directly to discuss a strategy that would see Guyanese light sweet crude flow into Trinidadian refineries, effectively turning a legacy industrial burden into a regional asset.
“I will be meeting with the government,” he said when asked directly about refinery collaboration.
This move signals a departure from the “export-only” model, aiming instead to monetise resources within the CARICOM space to insulate the region from global price shocks and supply chain vulnerabilities.
Ali’s willingness to explore refining Guyanese crude in T&T places renewed focus on the country’s dormant refinery assets. While no structure has been finalised, the signal is clear: upstream growth in Guyana is now large enough to support regional downstream integration.
“The president is considering investing in Trinidad’s refinery to refine some of Guyana’s oil,” he said.
The strategic case rests on proximity, existing infrastructure, and the potential to create value-added exports rather than raw crude flows, as Ali also acknowledged the structural weaknesses that have historically undermined refining in the region.
“There is the potential for refining oil from land; they should allow it to be what they call the refining tragedy. It’s happening now,” he outlined.
The remark underscores a hard reality: refining economics are unforgiving, and without scale, efficiency and consistent feedstock, projects fail. Ali’s framing suggests that a Guyana–Trinidad link could address some of those constraints, but only if executed with discipline and aligned incentives.
Kaieteur News had reported that, on the sidelines of the CARICOM heads meeting, President Ali had stated that Guyana remains open to exploring avenues of support in regards to the reopening of Trinidad’s oil refinery, but stressed that any arrangement must be economically sound and aligned with national and regional interests. The Guyanese head-of-state had said, “So wherever and however, we can integrate for the benefit of the region and benefit of our countries, we will, do that. Wherever and however. But you know, this requires constant evaluation and strategic decisions that are in the interest of our people, in interest of our country, in the interest of the region and economically viable.”
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