Dr the Honourable Roodal Moonilal, Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, the Honourable Ernesto Kesar, Minister in the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, Ms Karinsa Tulsie, Permanent Secretary (Ag.), Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries and Mr Terrance Ali, Senior Chemical Engineer (Ag.), Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries met with a high-level delegation from the U.S. Embassy and ExxonMobil to receive updates on the progress of operations related to the recently awarded ultra-deep block, ‘TTUD-1.’
The U.S. Embassy’s delegation included Dr Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz, Chargé d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr Charlie J. Franta III. The ExxonMobil delegation included Mr Paul Riley, South America Exploration Manager, Mr Gboyega Ayeni, Upstream Commercial Manager and Ambassador Craig Kelly (retired), Senior Director, International Government Relations.
Exxon Mobil indicated that operations projected for TTUD 1 are on schedule and confirmed that the company has now selected a seismic acquisition vendor and expressed gratitude for the support and cooperation of the Government thus far as the company proceeds to ambitiously begin seismic acquisition within six (6) months of the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) signing that occurred in August 2025. The anticipated first shot window is projected for February 2026. The Energy Ministers reiterated the Government’s commitment to support the project by optimising the necessary permitting and approvals processes, ensuring that there are minimal delays on the State’s end as it pertains to achieving the accelerated timeline for the execution of the minimum work committed by ExxonMobil.
The Energy Ministers and the officials from the U.S. Embassy took the opportunity to reaffirm mutual commitment to the collaboration between The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the United States of America particularly as it relates to energy sector matters. All parties remain committed to the accelerated and successful development of TTUD1, committing to continued open dialogue and communication.