MP Lee to Minister Khan: Stop hiding from the energy crisis

The Minister of Energy needs to stop deflecting as well as hiding from the crisis facing Point Lisas and tell the nation the true state of affairs facing our downstream sector. It has been one month since the letter written by five major CEOs representing 24 plants within the Point Lisas Industrial Estate was published in the national media alerting citizens to the massive possible crisis based on the issue of gas supply.

One month later the Minister of Energy has done nothing to reassure the national public that over 30,000 jobs, millions in government revenue and 25 per cent of our national Forex that is generated by the Point Lisas Industrial Estate would be protected or preserved. The Minister has been making the rounds in various press conferences to speak on future gas reserves, defend the deceitful Petrotrin state of affairs as well as renewable energy, while failing to present this government’s plans for preventing this massive crisis which threatens the socio-economic health of our nation.

The taxpayers of our nation, the employees of Point Lisas and fence line communities deserve answers forthwith. The time for secrets and deception is over having seen the immense damage that approach has brought to our nation in the handling of Petrotrin.

The silence of Minister Khan on the reliable supply of natural gas to downstreamers is unbecoming of his Ministerial duties as this matter has been raising concerns for over three years, beginning when this administration boasted of their Houston Trip which subsequently resulted in massive complaints of higher gas prices for downstreamers. The Minister’s lack of a proper plan for a supply of gas for Atlantic Train 1 has only made the situation worse. In December 2020 he told the Parliament that he had a plan, yet today the national public is totally unaware of that plan as the energy sector faces grave uncertainty.

Minister Khan must man up and tell the country what are the plans for supplying gas for Atlantic Train one and if all other contractual obligations to down streamers would be met. He must stop abdicating his Ministerial responsibilities and tell the taxpayers of our nation if the downstream sector is stable or has years of this government’s failure to incentivize the gas sector, finally led to its collapse.

David Lee
Opposition Chief Whip
Member of Parliament for Pointe a Pierre