Exploring deep and ultra-deepwater areas could boost Trinidad and Tobago’s (T&T) oil and gas industry, which has $6.2 billion of investment planned over the next two years, helping to offset the government’s apparent move away from an energy-dependent economy, says an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData.
According to Effuah Alleyne, Senior Analyst for GlobalData, T&T’s Budget Statement for the fiscal year 2015 revealed that the energy industry accounted for a 35% share of the country’s anticipated revenue. This represents a significant decline since 2006, when the sector represented almost 53% of the budget.
While this move may imply trouble for T&T’s oil and gas industry, Alleyne states that the emerging trend of deepwater exploration could help to revive the sector in a country where the majority of exploration and production (E&P) activity occurs in shallow waters of up to 250 meters (m) deep.
The analyst says: “T&T’s competitive deepwater bidding round ended in March this year, with two of six blocks awarded to a consortium consisting of BHP Billiton and BG Group. These blocks are located in water deeper than 1,500m.
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