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Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal. - Photo by Faith AyoungExxonMobil’s work on the TT Ultra Deep 1 (TTUD 1) block is running on schedule, with the first shot of the seismic survey expected to begin in about two months, the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI) said.
A MEEI release on December 16 said the update was provided to the ministry by a high-level delegation from the US Embassy and ExxonMobil.
“ExxonMobil indicated that operations projected for TTUD 1 are on schedule and confirmed that the company has now selected a seismic acquisition vendor and expressed gratitude for the support and cooperation of the Government thus far as the company proceeds to ambitiously begin seismic acquisition within six (6) months of the Production Sharing Contract signing that occurred in August 2025. The anticipated first shot window is projected for February 2026,” the release said.
The MEEI said during the meeting, whose location and date were not disclosed, Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal and Minister in the Ministry Ernesto Kesar reiterated the government’s commitment to support the project by optimising the necessary permitting and approvals processes to ensure minimal delays on the State’s end to achieve the accelerated timeline for the execution of the minimum work committed by ExxonMobil.
The energy ministers and the officials from the US Embassy reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the collaboration between both countries, particularly on energy sector matters.
“All parties remain committed to the accelerated and successful development of TTUD 1, committing to continued open dialogue and communication,” the release said.
Joining the ministers at the meeting on behalf of the MEEI were acting permanent secretary Karinsa Tulsie and acting senior chemical engineer Terrence Ali.
The US Embassy’s delegation included Chargé d’affaires Dr Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz and deputy Chief of Mission Charlie J Franta III.
ExxonMobil’s team included South America exploration manager Paul Riley, upstream commercial manager Gboyega Ayeni and senior director, international government relations Ambassador Craig Kelly (retired).
The update came one day after the Venezuelan government immediately terminated all energy ties with TT, as it accused the government of knowing about the US military's interception of an oil tanker reportedly headed to Cuba from Venezuela on December 10.
Responding to the announcement out of Caracas, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said she was not bothered by the cancellations.
"We have never depended on Venezuela for natural gas supplies. We have adequate reserves within our territory. We are aggressively working to reduce bureaucratic barriers to speed up approvals for energy companies."
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