BARBADOS IS LOOKING to squeeze more natural gas from ageing onshore wells as Government pursues a parallel strategy to boost domestic energy production while searching for potentially massive offshore reserves.
Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, Business Development and Commerce Kerrie Symmonds disclosed that the Barbados National Energy Company was actively exploring ways to reopen and enhance production from older wells whose output has declined over time. The initiative comes as Barbados now imports roughly 70 per cent
of the natural gas it consumes, a dramatic reversal from two decades ago when imports accounted for only about 30 per cent of demand.
“The island does not have onshore the natural gas that we used to have and so to be able to fuel the restaurants, the houses and so on, it really means importing it.” The disclosure came after questions about earlier efforts to revisit mature wells that had experienced declining production.
Director of the Natural Resources Unit James White confirmed that discussions were under way with potential international partners regarding the use of enhanced recovery technologies. “Through enhanced recovery, companies can get more of the hydrocarbons out of the ground using various technologies,” he explained. Symmonds said natural gas serves as a critical bridge fuel that allows Barbados to maintain energy reliability while investing heavily in solar, wind and battery storage infrastructure. “If we do find natural gas, I want to assure the public that obviously Barbados would look after itself in terms of the natural gas because as much as we are going to renewables, there is going to have to continue to be an element of the bridge and that bridge is natural gas,” he said.
The minister noted revenues generated from natural gas production could help finance Barbados’ renewable energy ambitions. He revealed that the country’s energy transition could ultimately cost more than $2 billion, with major investments required for wind energy projects, battery storage systems and other clean energy infrastructure.
Symmonds said Barbados’ long-term objective remains the expansion of renewable energy, but natural gas would continue to play an important supporting role for the foreseeable future. (CLM)