Lee wants answers on Dragon at energy conference

Opposition MP David Lee said he was eager to hear the addresses of both the Prime Minister and Energy and Energy Industries Minister Stuart Young at the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago’s three-day conference.

The conference takes place from February 10-12 at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain.

Dr Rowley will deliver the keynote address on February 10 and, at session two on that same day, Young is expected to give the keynote address on investing for the future.

At the opposition’s media conference on February 9, Lee said, “It will be interesting to hear and understand what the Minister of Energy and Energy Industries will be talking about on the theme of investing for the future in our energy sector.”

He said last year’s theme was accelerating action and, if Young’s speech from last year was reviewed, people would realise nothing had materialised.

He addressed a number of energy-related matters at the conference.

Young had gone silent on the Dragon Gas deal with Venezuela, Lee said.

“Not a single update on the Dragon deal in weeks. Not a single update if this government has received an OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control of US Treasury Department) licence extension.”

He added that Young had shifted his attention to deep-water bids for oil and gas.

“This is what Young should have spent his entire focus on.

“Have Young and the government finally accepted the reality of the Dragon?

“Have you finally seen the red flags, as Shell is yet to make a final investment decision on Dragon?” Lee asked.

He said in a matter of days the country would observe the third memorial of the Paria diving tragedy in which four divers lost their lives after being sucked into a pipeline.

“Three years ago, a government left the loved ones in the rain without a shelter, without answers and without compassion as their loved ones suffered in a Paria pipeline.

“Three years later, the very same government continues without compassion, abandoning these families as they have never been helped by the State.”

He challenged Young: “If you are so different from Rowley, tell the nation if you are willing to help these families with compensation.”

Lee also repeated the opposition’s call for the government and Paria’s general manager Musthaq Mohammed to  state publicly the procurement process used to enter into the US$90 million deal with Jamaica’s Petrojam.

“Regional integration or bilateral relations is no excuse to dismiss our procurement laws.

“One cannot simply spend US$90 million and not have a proper procurement process.

“The people of TT must know if this is refined fuel from Jamaica or resold fuel, because we have to get an economic understanding of the benefits to our population, especially if you are using scarce US dollars.”