Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Nutrien workers are being issued retrenchment letters as the Canadian fertiliser giant moves ahead with plans to terminate its remaining workforce at Point Lisas, with affected employees having until November 9 to accept their severance packages.
The letters, distributed in unmarked brown envelopes, were issued yesterday and today, with workers expected to review the terms of their severance packages before deciding whether to accept the offers.
The development marks another stage in the winding down of Nutrien’s Trinidad and Tobago operations, which have been at the centre of a prolonged dispute over natural gas supply, port access and the commercial viability of its operations.
Nutrien announced on October 5 that it would indefinitely shut down its nitrogen operations at Point Lisas following a strategic review, citing continuing natural gas constraints and uncertainty.
The company had initially implemented a controlled shutdown on October 23, 2025, after pointing to unreliable and uneconomic gas supplies and restrictions surrounding access to port facilities.
Approximately 350 employees were subsequently informed that retrenchment was imminent as the company prepared to wind down its local nitrogen business.
The closure brings an end to a 45-year presence in T&T by Nutrien, which operated four ammonia plants and one urea plant at the Point Lisas Industrial Estate.
Before the shutdown, the facility had the capacity to produce approximately 85,000 tonnes of ammonia and 55,000 tonnes of urea monthly, supplying international markets.
Its operations also supported hundreds of jobs, including contractors and businesses providing services to the energy sector.
The retrenchment exercise comes against the background of a wider natural gas shortage which has affected the country’s downstream petrochemical sector, with producers seeking more reliable supplies to sustain operations.
However, Energy and Energy Industries Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal has acknowledged that the Government inherited an energy sector experiencing declining oil and natural gas production.
Speaking on the Nutrien shutdown last month, Dr Moonilal said the Government continued to engage the company while respecting its decision to discontinue operations.
He said the Government was not closing the door on the possibility of a future investment in the complex.
Dr Moonilal said the Government was looking towards 2027 as a turning point, with projects including the Loran and Dragon gas developments expected to help increase supplies.
He said additional gas could provide the capacity needed to enter into three-year supply agreements with downstream manufacturers, some of which have been seeking greater certainty over their allocations.
