A major milestone for Antigua and Barbuda’s long-awaited liquefied natural gas (LNG) project has been reached, with government officials confirming the nation is still scheduled to receive its inaugural LNG cargo within the next 30 days. The green light for the next phase of development comes after key negotiations between stakeholders wrapped up successfully, and critical dredging work at the Crabs Harbour port continues to advance ahead of the delivery timeline.
Maurice Merchant, the nation’s Director General of Communications, shared the official update during the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing this Thursday, responding to questions from reporters about Cabinet’s review of the project’s status. He told journalists that the governing body received a formal progress note confirming the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) has finalized a binding agreement with both the North American and local private sector partners leading the LNG initiative. This deal resolves outstanding sticking points that had previously delayed the project’s final preparations.
“Cabinet was briefly advised that APUA, the project’s North American developers, and our local Antigua and Barbuda partners have come to a finalized agreement,” Merchant stated during the briefing.
The most critical infrastructure work underway right now is the dredging of Crabs Harbour, the site that will host the new LNG terminal. Merchant emphasized that dredging operations are moving at an accelerated pace to deepen and widen the port’s channel enough to accommodate large LNG tankers. Once complete, the upgraded harbor will be fully capable of handling the first cargo shipment and supporting ongoing operations at the new facility.
“Dredging work at Crabs Harbour continues at rapid speed, and the finished work will make it possible for the first LNG-carrying vessel to dock and launch operations at the Crabs terminal,” Merchant explained.
In a reassuring update for industry observers and local residents, Merchant confirmed the entire project remains aligned with the original timeline laid out by Prime Minister Gaston Browne, with no adjustments to the delivery schedule announced to date. “That means the 30-day timeline the Prime Minister laid out will be met,” he added.
Browne first announced the 30-day delivery target earlier this year, as part of the nation’s broader energy transition strategy to add LNG to its existing electricity generation fuel mix. The shift to natural gas is projected to deliver long-term benefits for Antigua and Barbuda’s energy sector: it will cut the country’s heavy reliance on imported petroleum, boost the overall efficiency of power generation operations, and create more stable, predictable long-term energy costs for both residential and commercial consumers.
While Merchant confirmed the core agreement and timeline, he declined to share specific details on the exact arrival date of the first shipment within the 30-day window, nor did he release additional terms of the deal struck between APUA and the LNG project partners. Even with the lack of granular details, he stressed that the latest progress update confirms all pre-operational preparations are proceeding as planned to launch commercial operations at the Crabs Harbour LNG facility in the coming weeks.