Prominent Caribbean scientist, Dr. Ulric Trotz has urged CARICOM member states to jointly develop the region's oil, gas and fertiliser industries — a move he says could drastically reduce the Caribbean's hefty import bill and shield the region from global economic shocks.
Dr. Trotz, who has served as Science Advisor at the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), spoke about the region’s food and energy security future at a recent conference organised by Guyana-based think-tank the Centre for International and Border Studies (CIBS). The scientist suggested that new regional institutions should be established to better support collaboration among member states.
“By indigenising our supply chains for energy and food, we more or less insulate us from global shocks like what we’re seeing with war in the Middle East,” the scientist told the conference.
The Caribbean's energy landscape has shifted significantly in recent years with substantial oil and gas finds in the Guyana-Suriname basin. Guyana currently produces more than 900,000 barrels of oil per day, a figure expected to reach approximately 1.7 million barrels by the end of the decade. Suriname, meanwhile, is preparing for the start of offshore production, possibly by 2028.
Despite abundant resources, the crude is sold abroad for refining. Caribbean nations, including Guyana, then import refined petroleum products to meet local demand. With global conflict intermittently driving up oil prices, Guyana's President Dr. Irfaan Ali has been pushing for the construction of a local refinery. Already, his government has issued a Request for Proposals and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Dominican Republic to advance those plans.
Dr. Trotz sees another viable path: leveraging Trinidad and Tobago's established downstream industry, which already includes a refinery and other processing facilities. However, he acknowledged that key studies are needed.
“The industrial logic here is that we place production where existing capacity and comparative advantages already exist,” Dr. Trotz said.
But for the scientist, infrastructure alone is not enough. That’s why he proposed the establishment of a CARICOM Energy Authority. This body would be responsible for regional energy planning, procurement, managing the energy transition, and negotiating gas supply agreements across member states.
He also floated the idea of a CARICOM Fertiliser Company which would be focused on ammonia and urea production, fertiliser blending and farm supply chains. Dr. Trotz noted that the region's natural gas reserves could support local fertiliser production, reducing dependence on costly imports.
And finally, he urged countries to consider a CARICOM Energy Company which would have oversight of refinery operations, LNG shipping, petrochemical exports and the management of strategic petroleum reserves for the region.
As countries deliberate on next steps, Dr. Trotz believes that meaningful collaboration must be pursued over the next three years to allow the region to eventually become a self-sufficient energy producer and wean itself off of costly fuel and food imports.
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