Trinidad and Tobago aims to restart an idled liquefied natural gas (LNG) unit by the first quarter of 2027 after agreeing to restructure the facility’s ownership and negotiate new gas supplies.
The government has pressed gas producers to increase offshore output to restart the dormant 500 mmcfd unit, known as train one, which was suspended at the end of 2020, due to a lack of gas supply. The restart will follow a proposed revamp of Atlantic LNG’s ownership and its gas-supply provisions.
In simplifying the project’s structure, Shell and BP each will own a 45% stake each in the plant’s four units with NGC holding the remaining 10% of each.
Shell has told the Trinitarian government that Atlantic LNG would need to be restructured and warned that any hiccup could delay gas availability to as late as 2028.
Trinidad is Latin America’s largest LNG exporter, but its joint venture company Atlantic LNG has not been able to access enough supply in recent years to keep its four liquefaction units running. Trinidad and Tobago has the capacity to process 4.2 bcfd into LNG, petrochemicals and power, but its gas production is about 2.7 bcfd.
