Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Former Petrotrin refinery expert Gowtam Maharaj says he hopes at least one train at the shuttered Pointe-a-Pierre refinery can be restarted within a year, creating more jobs and bolstering T&T’s foreign exchange reserves.
Maharaj, who has worked on all 26 plants for almost three decades, spoke to Guardian Media exclusively as the Government assesses the reopening of the refinery which was shut down by the Keith-Rowley administration in 2018, leaving more than 5,000 workers on the breadline.
Maharaj, who toured the refinery within the past year, said reopening the facility will boost economic activity throughout south Trinidad. He expressed hope that within one year at least one train comprising of the continuous catalyst regeneration (CCR) plant or the isomerisation plants would come onstream to produce gasoline.
His comments come as Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced the formation of a technical committee to explore the reopening of the refinery.
While the prospect of restarting is viable, Maharaj stressed that safety was of paramount importance, so comprehensive integrity testing must come first.
“One cannot give any empirical information in terms of what can be started at this particular time, because an integrity assessment is what will determine that,” he said.
These assessments will involve a battery of non-destructive testing methods, including X-ray, ultrasonic, and phased-array analysis—to verify the safety and reliability of vessels, compressors, columns, and piping that have endured high temperatures and pressures. Maharaj noted that some of the refinery’s infrastructure, particularly units like the CCR and isomerisation plants, are relatively new and well-positioned to lead the phased restart.
“Fortunately, some of these fairly new plants may be the very ones that are needed to start up to supply local gasoline demand. That’s a bit of good news,” he explained.
He said the prospect of restarting even part of the refinery is significant. Maharaj estimates local demand for diesel and gasoline to be over 20,000 barrels per day, a supply that T&T currently imports, depleting foreign exchange.
He said a functioning Pointe-a-Pierre refinery would also enable T&T to reclaim its historically dominant position as a supplier to Caribbean nations.
“We held the regional market, and nobody could have taken that from us,” Maharaj emphasised. “We are logistically in the best place ... and we blend to meet each island’s exact specification. They appreciated that—and stayed with us.”
He pointed to recent global dynamics, such as reduced heavy oil output from Venezuela, Canada and Mexico due to sanctions and tariffs, as a window of opportunity for T&T’s fuel oils to fetch a near-premium price.
“Margins for that are fairly good. So I support any decision to restart the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery. We have dominated the regional market, and we have the potential to continue to do so,” he added.
Despite this optimism, Maharaj underscored the challenges ahead. He said components may need to be replaced entirely depending on integrity test results, and many parts will have to be sourced internationally from original equipment manufacturers. That process, along with retrofitting, procurement, and re-certification, could delay full-scale operations, he explained.
Still, Maharaj insisted the local talent pool remains robust and experienced enough to manage such a project.
“We have processed crudes from as far as Russia and Brazil. Our teams know how to adapt,” he explained.
He expressed hope that the new committee will engage in a comprehensive integrity assessment of all critical systems, provide clear startup timelines based on test results, establish a crude sourcing strategy, including blends of local and imported crudes as well as marketing and distribution plans for regional fuel sales.
Maharaj said hundreds of millions of US dollars will be needed to fully restart the refinery and the committee must also provide a capital budget and procurement schedule for parts and equipment.
He also flagged the presence of a brand-new ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) plant at the site as a key asset. Though unused to date, he said this plant could be retrofitted and brought online with the right investment—offering a high-demand diesel product on the global market.
“There’s good news in there. It’s not all a junkyard,” Maharaj said.
“This is an economic opportunity, and it’s one we’re equipped to take on now that we have a Prime Minister and Energy Minister who have the political will to revitalise our refinery operations.”
He said energy self-sufficiency was needed and the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East presented opportunities for refining crude.