Following the dramatic extraction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US military forces on January 3, Trinidad and Tobago faces significant uncertainty regarding its long-term energy arrangements with Venezuela. Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers addressed these developments at a January 4 press conference at the UNC headquarters in Chaguanas, acknowledging that the future of the Dragon gas field exploration agreement remains unclear.
The previous PNM administration had secured a 30-year license for the Dragon gas project in December 2023, which was subsequently revoked in April 2024 following Donald Trump’s presidential election victory. The current UNC government obtained a six-month license extension in September 2025 after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, DC.
Minister Sobers characterized the Dragon gas project, along with other cross-border energy initiatives including Cocuina-Manakin and Loran/Manatee, as “continuously developing situations” that require years of negotiation and development. He emphasized that none of these matters would be resolved immediately.
The Trinidad and Tobago government has unequivocally expressed its support for the US National Security Strategy 2025 document, despite Sobers admitting unfamiliarity with its specific contents. The minister stated that the administration supports any policy ensuring population security against transnational criminal threats. This alignment with US strategy includes support for ongoing US military deployment in the Southern Caribbean, establishment of a US radar system in Tobago, and granting indefinite transit rights for US military flights through Trinidad and Tobago airports.
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar had previously declared the Dragon gas deal “dead” in May and indicated intentions to seek alternative gas supplies from Grenada, Guyana, and Suriname, though the feasibility of these alternatives remains questionable due to either limited availability or prior commitments.