Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh is in Trinidad and Tobago with officials of upstream petroleum regulator, Petroleum Commission (PC), Bulk Energy Storage and Transportation Company (BEST) and GOIL PLC to gain insights into best practices, explore advanced technologies and identify potential partnerships.
This comes on the back of efforts at strengthening the linkage between the Ghanaian upstream and downstream petroleum sectors with the overarching objective of ensuring value maximisation and retention.
According to the Minister who is also Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Trinidad and Tobago with its long history and expertise in hydrocarbon exploration, production, refining and transportation will be a viable partner to the Ghanaian oil and gas and allied industries to support the country’s industrialization agenda. The visit to T&T will include site visits to oil refineries, storage terminals and transportation facilities. It will also include meetings with government officials, industry executives and technical experts with the aim of discussing issues of mutual interest between the energy sectors of the two countries.
The Minister’s delegation yesterday, 20th February, 2024, visited Lake Asphalt of Trinidad and Tobago (1978) Limited; a wholly owned state enterprise with the mandate to ensure the commercial development of the Pitch Lake of Trinidad and Tobago, the world’s largest deposit of natural asphalt. After extensive discussions and a tour of the lake, understanding the operations of the company which also includes the manufacturing of bitumen emulsions, the Minister gave hints of further discussions on collaboration for mutual interest.
“We are here in Trinidad to foster knowledge exchange and collaboration between Ghana and Trinidadian oil and gas stakeholders and we intend to enter to a marriage that benefits our two countries”. Management of the company expressed their readiness to engage Ghana on a long-standing commercial partnership for the collective growth and advancement of the parties.
This working visit beyond the opportunity to also explore advanced technologies in various areas of the oil and gas value chain, is expected help foster stronger ties and collaboration between the energy sectors of Ghana and Trinidad and Tobago.