(By Trinidad Express, 17.May.2018) — The CEO of ammonia producer Caribbean Nitrogen Company (CNC), Jerome Dookie, said yesterday that problems with natural gas supplies have made T&T a less attractive location for new petrochemical projects, given issues of gas curtailment and the current price of natural gas.
“Capital will always follow where it gets the best return. And in terms of new projects being built, Trinidad and Tobago is no longer an attractive destination because the feedstock availability is questionable and the pricing is higher,” Dookie said, adding: “Certainly, the US now, driven by shale gas, is a preferred destination for capital. So that new construction projects—and not only Proman but other players globally, will tend to be attracted to those jurisdictions.”
Asked whether he was saying that the petrochemical sector in T&T is mature or in decline, the Point Lisas executive said there was no enough gas supply now to meet the overall demand on the industrial estate and at the Point Fortin liquefaction facility of Atlantic LNG.
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