Caption: Refinery at Point-a-Pierre. AZP News/Sue-Ann Wayow
Summary
- Major Contract Announced: Italian engineering firm MAIRE announced that its subsidiary, Tecnimont, secured a US$50 million contract to conduct a comprehensive technical and integrity assessment of the Pointe-à-Pierre refinery.
- Private Partnership: Patriotic Energies confirmed it partnered privately with Tecnimont for the study to strengthen its proposal to the State to restart the refinery operations.
- Government Denial: Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal distanced the State from the deal, clarifying that the Government is not involved and has not officially selected any entity to take over the refinery.
- Undisclosed Funders: Patriotic director Ozzie Warwick declined to name who is financing the US$50 million study, stating only that undisclosed “investment partners” are paying for it.
- Opposition Scrutiny: PNM MP Stuart Young is demanding full transparency regarding the contract’s legitimacy and funding, pointing to Patriotic’s recent legal and financial hurdles.
By Prior Beharry
AN announcement by an Italian engineering conglomerate regarding a US$50 million contract to assess the Pointe-à-Pierre refinery has government has saying it has no part in the arrangement.
MAIRE published a statement on its corporate website revealing that its subsidiary, Tecnimont Services, secured a major contract to conduct a rehabilitation study on the Guaracara Refinery Complex.
According to MAIRE, the work will include “a comprehensive technical and integrity assessment” of the facility’s units and equipment, alongside a two-phase plan for its potential restart. The evaluation is slated to cover environmental performance, energy efficiency, and necessary upgrades to cooling and water intake systems.
MAIRE’s Chief Executive Officer Alessandro Bernini said “The upgrading of the Guaracara Refinery Complex is expected to generate tangible benefits for the local economy, contributing to value creation, industrial development and skill enhancement.”
However, the government was quick to distance itself from the multi-million-dollar agreement. Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal said that the government is not a party to the Tecnimont contract, noting that the Italian firm is simply one of several global entities exploring the refinery’s potential.
“They are one of many global oil and gas corporations and investment entities interested in our refinery. They are involved with Patriotic Energies in their ongoing interest in the refinery operations,” Moonilal said.
He added, “The doors are open to all investors and energy companies. There is no selected entity at this moment.”
Patriotic Energies director Ozzie Warwick said it was a private collaboration.
Kevin Ramnarine, chairman of the government’s Refinery Restart Committee, stated he was unaware of the Tecnimont deal prior to its publication online.
“I have no information on the Technimont story that has been published on several international websites,” Ramnarine said. “The committee I chaired submitted its report to the Ministry of Energy in December 2025. It largely looked at the restart from an asset integrity, process engineering and economic point of view. I expect that these findings will inform Government’s discussions with potential investors.”
Opposition demands transparency
The private US$50 million assessment has drawn sharp criticism from the Opposition. People’s National Movement (PNM) MP Stuart Young is demanding full disclosure regarding the legitimacy of the deal, raising urgent questions about potential taxpayer exposure.
“First, who is it that awarded this contract to this Italian firm? Who signed that contract? Secondly, who is paying 50 million US dollars for this assessment and plan to be done? Is it us, the taxpayers?” Young asked.
He also challenged the current administration to reconcile this private development with their previous claims. “And the third question for (Prime Minister) Kamla Persad-Bussessar and Moonilal is this, every time you all have travelled to the United States, to India and to Guyana, the two of you have told Trinidad and Tobago that you have endless companies lined up coming to restart the refinery at Pointe-a-Pierre. What exactly is the truth? What exactly are the answers to these questions? Because we, Trinidad and Tobago, deserve the answer.”
A history of financial Hurdles
This latest development adds another chapter to Patriotic’s long-running, and often contentious, bid to acquire the refinery following Petrotrin’s closure in 2018.
During his tenure as Energy Minister in 2024, Young openly accused Patriotic of submitting fraudulent documentation regarding a US$1.5 billion financing claim. Patriotic vehemently denied the allegations, describing them as “misleading and mischievous,” and maintained that its preferred financier had been thoroughly vetted and accepted by international banking standards.
However, Patriotic and its parent organisation, the Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU), have faced documented financial struggles recently. In July 2025, the High Court ruled against the union and Patriotic, ordering them to repay over US$4 million to KCL Capital Market Brokers Limited. The judgment stemmed from defaulted loans taken out between 2019 and 2020 to bankroll the union’s initial, unsuccessful attempts to purchase the refinery.
