It is nowhere close to discussing the prospect of ‘first gas’ from the Dragon Gas Field.

So says Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, as he responded to an Opposition question in the House of Representatives on Friday.

The Prime Minister says government has to wait for developments from the operator, Shell, and there are also negotiations that must take place.

On January 25, Prime Minister Rowley announced that the United States government on Tuesday granted a license to Trinidad and Tobago to develop the Dragon Gas Field located in Venezuelan territorial waters.

It marks a further easing of some US sanctions on Venezuela.

Back in 2020, it was announced that a 2018 US$1 billion natural-gas-sharing dragon deal arrangement between T&T and Venezuela had to be put on hold because of US economic sanctions.

At a news conference last Tuesday, PM Rowley said he applied for the license in mid-2022 and won approval after discussing it with top U.S. officials, including U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, while also keeping open a channel of communication with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The license is intended to enhance Caribbean regional energy security, as T&T now has permission to work with Venezuela’s heavily sanctioned state-run oil company PDVSA.

Prime Minister Rowley says Trinidad expects to gain access to 350 million cubic feet of gas per day from the Dragon field.