He spoke at a Divali event in Oropouche East. Timelines for the restart have shifted since March.
OROPOUCHE EAST, Trinidad – Energy Minister Dr. Roodal Moonilal said Tuesday evening that the restart of the Guaracara refinery at Pointe-a-Pierre is in its “final stage,” and that it is a matter of time before “a very large deya, or two, or three, or four” is lit there.
Moonilal, speaking at a Divali event called Urja in his constituency, used the festival’s theme of light overcoming darkness to paint a hopeful picture for the energy sector. He said the Government is carefully following the legal process to avoid any challenge. Some people who were never seen in a courthouse, he said, are suddenly running to court to stop housing, drains, roads and “everything,” and “we don’t want that.” He said the process takes time but will be “unchallengeable, unimpeachable.” He thanked the refinery restart committee and Gowtam Maharaj, who chairs Guaracara Refining Company Limited.
The Government created the Refinery Restart Committee in July 2025. Its interim report in December found a restart technically, commercially and financially viable and recommended four phases. In his Oct. 12 budget address, Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo said the Government is evaluating proposals from a shortlist of local and international investors and will approach the restart with “fiscal discipline,” seeking a fully financed arrangement. The refinery was shut in November 2018 by the Rowley administration amid mounting debt and operating losses.
Timelines have moved. In March, Moonilal signaled that at least two plants would come on stream before the end of 2026, the Guardian reported. In July, he said he expected a clear roadmap for the restart by the end of the year, and the US offered to help find an operating partner. Moonilal confirmed talks earlier this year with Indian Oil, Chevron and other companies, and an Italian engineering firm won a US$50 million contract in March for a rehabilitation study.
Former Petrotrin chairman Wilfred Espinet, who led the closure, has remained skeptical about a restart. Maharaj has said that a full restart of all units could take up to 39 months, though a phased approach would allow earlier production.
This report draws on a statement by Energy Minister Roodal Moonilal reported by TTT News, and on reports from the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, Caribbean National Weekly and the Rio Times.