Government Cuts Red Tape: ExxonMobil Receives Key Environmental Certificate Ahead Of Schedule
The government has taken a decisive step in fast-tracking energy development, issuing a Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) to ExxonMobil on Monday, weeks ahead of schedule.
The energy giant was granted the CEC to conduct a three-dimensional seismic survey in Block TTUD-1, located off the east coast of Trinidad.
At the handover, Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development, Dr. Kennedy Swaratsingh, noted that the issuance of the CEC follows the historic signing of a Production Sharing Contract for Block TTUD-1 in August, marking ExxonMobil’s return to Trinidad and Tobago after 22 years.
“This CEC is being given, I think, one month in advance. The due date was January 26th, and we were able to do that before the end of December. So again, very, very warm congratulations to all of the EMA.”
Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, Dr. Roodal Moonilal, said the accelerated approvals are part of a wider strategy to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and boost investor confidence. He highlighted that this was the second CEC that the EMA has delivered within a few weeks.
“It was just in August 2025 that we had an historic signing at the Diplomatic Centre of a production sharing contract that signalled the return to our territory of ExxonMobil. Since then, we have been doing a lot of work with this particular oil major. We have been working with several companies, of course, but in this case, we are fast-tracking. And this morning is a very, very historic morning because we are here to collect our CEC.”
Minister Moonilal added that faster decision-making could earn the country an additional US$120 million annually, underscoring the importance of efficiency in the energy sector.
With ExxonMobil preparing to begin seismic surveys early in the new year, officials say the approvals are crucial to keeping projects on track.
