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Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby Habit7 » April 29th, 2024, 10:16 am

bluefete wrote:I don't know why Habit7 tryng to defend this ish!

This Gill fellow has some gall. So IF Gill is telling the truth, TTUDOCL was supposed to continue giving him gas for FREE even though he already owed over US$21 million?

I don't think you know what I am trying to defend. I am refuting your misinformation, I am not defending Gill. When Niquan ran up a bill beyond what they could pay, TTUDOCL shut off their gas until he could clear the bill. Nobody wants to give him gas for free.

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby bluefete » May 5th, 2024, 9:01 pm

Republic Bank to submit plan to save NiQuan
JADA LOUTOO 8 HRS AGO

AS NiQuan Energy seeks to block a winding up petition to enforce a multi-million dollar court judgment, a leading commercial bank has asked the court for an opportunity to present a proposal to rehabilitate the financially-crippled gas-to-liquids company.

Attorneys for Republic Bank Ltd wrote to the court on May 15, with its proposal. At a hearing on May 3, they were given until June 3 to submit the proposal to save Niquan from the winding up petition.

If the proposal is rejected by NiQuan’s secured and unsecured creditors, the bank will be expected to put in evidence for objecting to the petition. The matter is expected to go to trial on June 15.

In their letter to the court, Republic Bank’s attorneys said the bank was the collateral agent under a short-term note instrument (STNI) issued by NiQuan to 20 note holders from various countries.

“As collateral agent, our client is contractually obliged to represent the interest of the noteholders with respect to the STNI and accompanying registered security granted in relation to the STNI in favour of the Noteholders which includes all tangible and intangible assets of Niquan secured under a charge of shares and a mortgage debenture (security).

“As at the date of this letter, the STNI covers debt owed by NiQuan to the noteholders in the amount of US$175,000,000.”

The bank’s attorney Jonathan Walker admitted NiQuan has faced “substantial operational challenges” and had defaulted on its obligations under the STNI.

He said a steering committee was established to consider the issues NiQuan faces and consider options to safeguard the noteholders’ interests “which includes options for the rehabilitation of NiQuan.”

Walker said the steering committee has engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers to develop a plan to rehabilitate NiQuan’s operations “with the overall intent being to put Niquan back in a position to settle its

obligations to its various creditor groups.”

The process to rehabilitate Niquan, he said, was expected to take eight to twelve months.

“The making of an order to wind up NiQan could potentially jeopardise this initiative, to the detriment of creditors, both secured and unsecured

“For example, such an order will render material operating contracts imminently terminable, thereby severely restricting options for access to financing.

“Similarly, it is often the case that there are differences in objectives between a liquidator and a rehabilitation of the company.”

NiQuan’s former vice president for global services, David Small filed the petition on February 1, to recover a $21 million court-ordered payout owed to him for breach of a written separation agreement.

Justice Westmin James is presiding over the petition.
https://newsday.co.tt/2024/05/05/republ ... ve-niquan/

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby The_Honourable » May 5th, 2024, 11:39 pm

Gill the pnm lobbyist is learning the hard way that the GTL plant wasn't meant to be for him, and he probably robbed another company that would have been better suited to turn the plant into a success. But with zero experience in natural gas matters, he fought and used his pnm connections to get it. When he finally got it in 2018, the plant was supposed to start in 2019 but began operations in 2021 instead... 3 years late. Granted covid affected commencement operations... ok but...

One month after beginning operations, an explosion occurred which resulted in the plant being down for 16 months. After resumption in late 2022, there was a fatal accident approx 9 months later. Plant went down and hasn't resumed since.

Niquan within the last three years is in multiple legal troubles, gone into debt, defaulted on loans, state company TTUDOCL created by the pnm to supply niquan also gone into debt, all employees terminated with no benefits, plant mothballed, and multiple big boy creditors such as banks and other financial institutions secured and unsecured sheeting bricks.

This company has become a black hole and pulling in anybody and anything that has done business with it.

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby bluefete » May 5th, 2024, 11:42 pm

^^ Could not have written it better myself.

Habit7 must be getting conniptions.

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby Habit7 » May 6th, 2024, 9:16 am

bluefete wrote:^^ Could not have written it better myself.

Habit7 must be getting conniptions.

Gill is not the first, nor the last private sector company to go into debt. He got investors to trust in him and the UNC installed Petrotrin board to offer him the plant.

The plant was only 85% completed when they eventually got and they invested US$125M to complete it. That is a significant amount invested into the local economy. Whether RBL saves them or the plant is liquidated and his debtors are repaid, this is not the last of the GTL plant.

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby bluefete » May 7th, 2024, 5:14 am

Habit7 wrote:
bluefete wrote:^^ Could not have written it better myself.

Habit7 must be getting conniptions.

Gill is not the first, nor the last private sector company to go into debt. He got investors to trust in him and the UNC installed Petrotrin board to offer him the plant.

The plant was only 85% completed when they eventually got and they invested US$125M to complete it. That is a significant amount invested into the local economy. Whether RBL saves them or the plant is liquidated and his debtors are repaid, this is not the last of the GTL plant.


Imagine, I do not disagree with you on this. :)

BUT ... any employer who makes statutory deductions and fails to make the payments to the relevant authorities is on games.

NiQuan workers still in limbo
by

4 days ago
20240503

However, employees expressed uncertainty about signing the letter and concern about whether they will ever be paid. Some are seeking legal advice since NiQuan hasn’t paid their NIS or PAYE or any contribution to their pension plans.
https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/niquan- ... 368b0b9d48

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby Habit7 » May 7th, 2024, 6:43 am

I think you wrongfully interpret me as a defender of Niquan. I was just refuting the wrong info about Niquan shared here. If Niquan is so bad, there is no need to lie about them. That being said, they owe plenty ppl including the govt and I hope they get paid.

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby zoom rader » May 7th, 2024, 7:25 am

Habit7 wrote:I think you wrongfully interpret me as a defender of Niquan. I was just refuting the wrong info about Niquan shared here. If Niquan is so bad, there is no need to lie about them. That being said, they owe plenty ppl including the govt and I hope they get paid.
Nah u a defender of PNM & their stupidly

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby sMASH » October 25th, 2024, 2:04 pm

So even if niquan get the all clear to resume operating , where they getting the gas from?

It have none extra ... Even less cause some plants down csue they don't have.

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby shaneelal » October 25th, 2024, 2:15 pm

sMASH wrote:So even if niquan get the all clear to resume operating , where they getting the gas from?

It have none extra ... Even less cause some plants down csue they don't have.


Receiver appointed for NiQuan

A RECEIVER has been appointed for NiQuan Energy Trinidad Ltd amid ongoing winding-up proceedings.

Varune Mungal was appointed as the receiver, effective October 10, 2023, under a series of mortgage debentures dating back to 2018, according to a newspaper advertisement.

https://trinidadexpress.com/business/re ... 7348b.html

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Re: Explosion At Petrotrin / NiQuan Plant

Postby sMASH » October 25th, 2024, 10:02 pm

wing wrote:NiQuan gets greenlight to restart plant

Asha Javeed

Jun 21, 2022 Updated Jun 21, 2022

FOURTEEN months after an explosion took place at NiQuan’s Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) plant located on the refinery compound at Pointe-a-Pierre, steps are now being taken to restart the plant.

In April, NiQuan was given limited approval by the Ministry of Energy to reintroduce natural gas to the facility.

During Prime Minister’s Question Time on June 13, Dr Rowley was asked a question on the restart of the plant by Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee.

Rowley said: “On April 14, NiQuan was given approval by the Ministry of Energy for the reintroduction of natural gas to the facility for the primary purpose of lighting the flare pilot burners and producing medium pressure steam utilising the auxiliary boilers for cleaning lines following the shutdown of the facility post incident on April 7, 2021.

“Approval was also given by the Ministry of Energy for introduction of fuel gas only for the reformer burners for conducting refractory dry out.

“NiQuan Energy Trinidad Limited by letter dated June 1, 2022 to the Ministry of Energy Re: Request approval for entry of process gas for front-end start up (reformer to suction of synthesis gas compressor) has requested approval to start commissioning activities.

“This request is for one stage of the process, from the reformer to the suction of the synthesis gas compressor. This activity includes:

1. Gas pre-treatment (desulphurisation)

2. Steam/methane reforming

3. Reformed gas waste heat recovery

4. The CO2 compressor and recycle system.

“On receipt of this approval from the Ministry of Energy, the duration of the commissioning is expected to take about one month to compete with approval requested in stages from the ministry. Approval for commencing entry of process gas has not been granted by the Ministry of Energy to date,” the Prime Minister had said.

To date, an investigation by the Ministry of Energy is yet to be completed into the circumstances surrounding the explosion.

Thus far, only a preliminary report dated April 14, 2021 and an interim report dated June 1, 2021 were produced.

NiQuan was formally opened on March 9 and the explosion occured one month later.

Following the explosion, NiQuan had said that the plant’s hydrocracker system failed during an attempted startup.

Meanwhile, while the Ministry of Energy’s investigation proceeds, the fire services gave NiQuan the all-clear to re-enter the plant several months ago.

The company is about three years late in getting off the ground.

It had originally expected to start production in December 2019.

In a statement to the Express last December, NiQuan said it set a new target date for the first quarter of 2022.

The company said it has been working assiduously with its contractors and is well advanced to complete all necessary safety processes items according to Hazard and Operability Analysis (HAZOP) and Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA) standards, in preparation for the restart of the GTL Plant.

“Once all safety measures have been implemented and accepted by NiQuan’s engineer of record, the plant will be brought back up to full commercial operation producing at a nameplate capacity of 2,400 barrels per day. The target date for that accomplishment is now set for 1st quarter 2022,” the statement said.

“As NiQuan completes required works and begins to re-start the plant, the Ministry of Energy will issue provisional approvals on a step-by-step basis––from the company bringing gas onto site, to lighting the boiler, through the reformer, FT Reactors, all the way to storage of product in the NiQuan tanks with final approval only being provided after the plant is fully up and running.

“For example, when NiQuan needed approval for the reintroduction of natural gas to the boiler to carry out steam cleaning of various vessels and piping just after the incident, the Company provided documents and received the appropriate approval,” it said.

It had noted that products generated and salvaged by the plant prior to the blowout incident of April 7, 2021 had been independently certified by a reputable environment testing laboratory, Bio Research Laboratory (BRL).

“Their finding is that NiQuan’s paraffinic GTL Diesel is 100 per cent biodegradable and non-toxic, and has the same properties as a gas-to-liquid (GTL) synthetic non-aqueous base fluid (NABF) which is used for drilling muds in deep-sea drilling. This BRL certification puts NiQuan’s GTL products amongst the best in their class, and at a 100 per cent environmentally friendly level,” the company said.
Bumping this as it was some sort of brag of success ...

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby sMASH » October 25th, 2024, 10:14 pm

Who hadda pay back the loans niquan took to restart the project ?
IMG_20241025_220847.jpg

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby sMASH » October 25th, 2024, 10:14 pm


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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby zoom rader » October 26th, 2024, 12:45 am

Lessons leant

Never let PNM run any business

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby sMASH » October 26th, 2024, 12:50 am

zoom rader wrote:Lessons leant

Never let PNM run any business
Wring yuh ears...
NiQuan supposed to be Rowley flagship project ...
Mc too dotish ... Good for him.

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby The_Honourable » March 12th, 2025, 10:40 am

NiQuan’s assets being sold off

AN unused piece of equipment intended for NiQuan Energy Trinidad Ltd’s operations is among several assets now up for sale by the receiver, just after the seventh anniversary of the gas-to-liquid plant’s grand opening.

The unused FT Max Catalyst-T 2811, weighing 231,000 pounds and used in gas-to-liquids (GTL) processes, is being sold by receiver manager Varune Mungal.

Also, up for sale is a hydrocracker catalyst weighing 14,062 pounds.

“The Receiver Manager of NiQuan Energy Trinidad Ltd (in receivership) is offering the following assets of the company for sale as a complete package or on an individual basis,” a notice about the assets for sale stated.

ASSETS FOR SALE:

One Air Compressor – New Kaishan KRSP2

Eight ISO Tanks 20 feet

One Three-tonne CAT Diesel forklift

One 2.5-tonne CAT Electrical forklift

Four 40ft Officer Containers

Three 40ft Storage Containers

One Plotter (HP Design Jet T3500 Production MFP)

Office Equipment and Furniture

Amine (KS-2040) (18 Tote)

FT Max Catalyst (Unused) T2811 (231,000 lbs)

Hydrocracker Catalyst (Spent) TK 928, TK 711, TK 551 (14,062 lbs)


On October 10, Mungal was appointed as the receiver for NiQuan Energy Trinidad Ltd amid ongoing winding-up proceedings.

Mungal is the managing director of Business Recovery and Advisory Services Limited (BRASL).

Mungal was appointed as the receiver under a series of mortgage debentures dating back to 2018, according to a newspaper advertisement.

His appointment was pursuant to the following:

• A mortgage debenture dated July 6, 2018;

• An amended mortgage debenture dated July 30, 2019;

• An amended and restated mortgage debenture February 6, 2020; and

• An amended and restated mortgage debenture dated July 18, 2023.

NiQuan’s former vice-president, David Small, was awarded $18.8 million for breach of a written mutual separation agreement dated November 2, 2021, along with exemplary damages, on September 29 last year.

However, after complaining about not being paid, Small, a former independent senator, filed a petition in the High Court on February 1, seeking the winding-up of NiQuan in an effort to recover the money owed to him by the company.

And on March 15, M Hamel-Smith & Co, the attorney representing Republic Bank Ltd, wrote the Registrar of the Supreme Court.

“Our client is, among other things, the Collateral Agent under a Short-Term Note Instrument issued by NiQuan to approximately 20 noteholders from various countries. As Collateral Agent, our client is contractually obliged to represent the interest of the Noteholders with respect to the STNI and accompanying registered security granted in relation to the STNI in favour of the Noteholders which includes all tangible and intangible assets of NiQuan secured under a charge of shares (as amended from time to time) and a mortgage debenture (as amended from time to time). As at the date of this letter, the STNI covers debt owed by NiQuan to the Noteholders in the amount of US$175,000,000,” the letter from M Hamel-Smith & Co stated.

Since the matter was brought before the High Court, the Junior Sammy Group, JMMB and at least five other companies also stepped forward, claiming they too are owed money by the company.

At the end of April, approximately 80 employees at NiQuan Energy Trinidad Ltd were sent home after the company’s founder, Ainsley Gill, informed staff that expected funding had not materialised as planned, forcing the mothballing of the gas-to-liquids plant.

“During these last few months, the Company has been preserving the Plant in a wet layup in anticipation of an amicable solution and the return of gas. However, following the disproportionate curtailment of gas supply suffered by the Company, followed by the wrongful termination of the Gas Supply Contract (GSC), it is with disappointment and frustration that the Company has no other alternative but to now place the plant into a dry layup and, mothballed status,” Gill stated in a letter to employees.

Gill said as a direct consequence of those difficulties, it was with “deep regret” that NiQuan’s senior secured mortgage holders have been unable to fund the company as was “reasonably expected”.

“And as a further direct consequence, the company is now unable to continue to preserve the GTL Plant,” Gill said.

“Further, it is likely that a winding up order will be made by the High Court pursuant to a winding up petition brought against the company by two unsecured creditors. The next hearing before the Court is scheduled for May 3, 2024,” he said.

Gill said that as a result of this pending appointment of a liquidator by the court, NiQuan was unable to extend the current extended furlough that staff members were placed on.

“Therefore at 5 p.m. on April 30, 2024, your Contract of Employment will be terminated, and the Company will issue individual formal termination letters,” the letter stated.

“This is a very unfortunate outcome; one the Company did not wish to occur,” he added.

NiQuan’s troubled gas-to-liquids plant was placed in “Asset Preserving Silent Mode” last September due to a lack of natural gas, and financial constraints.

In August last year, NiQuan lost its bid for an injunction against the Government to compel the State to resume its natural gas supply.

Delivering a decision last August, High Court Judge Kevin Ramcharan dismissed NiQuan’s application for an injunction against the Trinidad and Tobago Upstream Downstream Energy Opera¬tions Company Ltd (TTUDEOCL) and the Office of the Attorney General.

NiQuan owed TTUDEOCL US$21 million for natural gas contractually given to it.

Gill established NiQuan Energy LLC, in 2008.

“Under his (Gill’s) leadership, NiQuan Energy achieved a historic milestone by developing the world’s first commercially viable small-scale Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) facility, also the first GTL plant in the Western Hemisphere. Ainsley sees GTL technology as a practical solution for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in hard-to-abate industries, positioning NiQuan as a leader in the clean energy transition. His vision includes expanding NiQuan’s presence worldwide, with multiple GTL facilities providing sustainable energy solutions for the future,” NiQuan’s website states.

The gas-to-liqudis plant was opened in T&T in March 2021 with Prime MInister Dr Keith Rowley delivering the feature address.

“In 2018 when NiQuan acquired the plant, Petrotrin received a cash payment of US$10 million, with the remaining US$25 million to be paid in Preference Shares. To complete the plant, a further capital injection of approximately US$125 million was required,” Rowley said,

“Additionally, the Government is expected to receive TT$2 billion in taxes and statutory payments over the life of the project. NiQuan’s investment represents the first major private investment in the downstream energy sector in recent times, despite difficulties in the global markets,” he stated,

https://trinidadexpress.com/business/lo ... 0bbeb.html

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby sMASH » March 12th, 2025, 10:45 am

The hardest ting, gtl could work... Jess need a source of gas and to flush the org structure of pnm appointees

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby gastly369 » March 13th, 2025, 7:00 am

Lolololololol

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby thecloud1234 » March 13th, 2025, 2:40 pm

sMASH wrote:The hardest ting, gtl could work... Jess need a source of gas and to flush the org structure of pnm appointees

How about cut up plant'

make offer to Guyana

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby sMASH » March 13th, 2025, 3:48 pm

thecloud1234 wrote:
sMASH wrote:The hardest ting, gtl could work... Jess need a source of gas and to flush the org structure of pnm appointees

How about cut up plant'

make offer to Guyana
I feel if any body gonna invest in that or the refinery ,they gonna cut it up and re shore them their .
And leave the country to seek redress in the courts and leave we hanging like Mittal

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby The_Honourable » June 8th, 2025, 2:21 pm

Stuart Young's Legacy

Refusal to release NiQuan report ‘unlawful’

Judge rules against Energy Ministry in widow’s FOIA request...

THE refusal by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries to disclose its investigative report on an explosion at NiQuan Ener­gy’s Pointe-a-Pierre plant in 2023, which resulted in the death of an employee of a third-party contractor, is unlawful, the High Court has ruled.

It is within the public’s interest that the report be made public, said Justice Avason Quinlan-Williams on Friday as she delivered an oral ruling in a claim for judicial review brought by Sarah Ramkissoon, the widow of Allanlane Ramkissoon, 35.

Ramkissoon, a father of two young children, was a plant fitter with Massy Energy Engineered Solutions Ltd and one of its workers who was deployed to carry out certain modification works to parts of the plant at NiQuan on June 15, 2023.

While he was doing so, the explosion occurred, resulting in him sustaining extensive burns.

Ramkissoon died three days later on June 18, 2023, after being airlifted from Piarco International Airport to Funfacion Santa Fe de Bogata Hospital, Colombia.

In her ruling, the judge said the ministry had not presented sufficient evidence to justify its decision to not disclose the information that was requested by Ramkissoon’s widow in November 2023 under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Justice Quinlan-Williams stated that based on the evidence presen­ted by both sides during hearing of the judicial review claim, she found there was a significant public inte­rest in having the information released.

“Disclosure of the report will illuminate the ministry’s investigative process and its findings on the ope­rations of NiQuan that led to circum­stances surrounding her hus­band’s death,” stated the judge.

She went on to add: “There is public interest in disclosure as the report would indicate how the ministry, as regulator in the energy sector under the Petroleum Act, carries out its functions of enforcement and safety adherence for the good of society.”

The Sunday Express reached out to Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal yesterday evening via WhatsApp on whether the ruling will be appealed.

He issued a statement around 5.30 p.m., saying he will have to discuss the issue tomorrow with Attor­ney General John Jeremie to determine the next step.

The Sunday Express also attemp­ted to contact former energy minister and former prime minister Stuart Young for comment, but calls to his phone went unanswered.

Young was head of the Energy Ministry when the incident took place.

In his statement, Moonilal said he was “shocked by the shameful abuse of power by my predecessor, Minister Stuart Young, in this matter”.

Even though Justice Quinlan-Williams granted a number of the declarations sought by Ramkissoon’s widow over the unlawfulness of not releasing the information, and quashed the ministry’s decision, she did not announce whether the ministry was required to reconsider the FOIA application based on the guidance she provi­ded in the judgment or that it should immediately disclose the investigative report.

During the hearing, she also no­ted that her written decision would be forwarded to the attorneys, but this did not take place up to yesterday evening.

The incident that led to Ramkis­soon’s death took place just before 1 a.m. on June 15, 2023, while he and his colleagues were carrying out the maintenance works.

Court documents stated that after being injured, Ramkissoon, who lived in Barrackpore, was removed on a stretcher and then made to sit on a chair for approximately an hour in the car park while waiting on ambulance personnel.

He was taken to a private hospital in San Fernando before being transferred via air ambulance to Colombia for specialist medical care because of the severity of his injuries.

He died three days later.

Given the incident, an investigation was launched by the Energy Ministry under Young to determine the exact cause.

It was stated by Young that once the investigation was complete, it would have been made public.

This was not done.

The Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) was among those that eventually called for the report to be made public.

In November 2023, attorneys Anand Ramlogan, Kent Samlal, Robert Abdool-Mitchell, Jared Ja­groo and Aasha Ramlal issued a FOIA request on behalf of Ramkis­soon.

When the ministry replied days later, it claimed the report was exempt from disclosure.

Christmas not a valid excuse

In determining the case, Justice Quinlan-Williams criticised the ministry for responding outside of the 30-day deadline under the FOIA.

One of the reasons provided by the ministry for failing to respond in a timely manner was the Christmas season of that year.

But the judge said the Christmas season was not a valid excuse. “The court found the reliance on the Christmas holidays without more was a poor reason for breaching its duty to inform the claimant as soon as practicable,” she said.

“The defendant’s evidence did not satisfy the court that their approach was anything other than lackadaisical,” said the judge.

In addition, Justice Quinlan-Williams stated the Energy Ministry’s claim that the disclosure of the report would result in the defamation of others who were named in the report was not a legitimate reason to not disclose the information.

“Undoubtedly, this is a far more serious incident, and NiQuan should have addressed its mind to that,” she said.

“It appears to this court that the defendant’s unwillingness to disclose the report arose through secrecy and reasons of self-preservation, especially in regard to the fact that the claimant is desirous of pursuing litigation,” the judge added.

Justice Quinlan-Williams also said the ministry’s officials had a duty to seek the views of individuals and entities in the report before completing it.

“The ministry cannot use a breach of their duty as an excuse to keep the report secret under the guise of public interest,” said the judge.

https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/ ... 8da42.html

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Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby The_Honourable » June 18th, 2025, 8:46 pm

Report: Fatal NiQuan fire tied to poor safety culture, weak oversight

A Ministry of Energy investigation into the deadly June 15, 2023 fire at the NiQuan gas-to-liquids plant found “inadequate leadership and supervision,” poor risk controls, and a breakdown in both safety systems and emergency response. The incident resulted in the death of pipe fitter Allanlane Ramkissoon. Investigators described the facility as “still struggling with basic safety governance.”

The report, laid in Parliament on Wednesday by Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal, recommended urgent reforms to training, emergency preparedness, contractor oversight, and plant safety systems. It also urged a full review of the plant’s Management of Change process and elimination of vague internal terms such as “sky valve” and “ladder valve.”

Moonilal, speaking in the House, said the report was released to bring transparency to the matter and to give Ramkissoon’s family and the public a full account of what occurred. “This report is here... so that not only the Ramkissoon family but Trinidad and Tobago can look at what went on that night at the NiQuan plant,” he said. He also accused the former administration of spending tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees to block disclosure of the report. “They never gave a hamper, a dollar, an iota of assistance to the family,” he added.

The report detailed multiple failings that contributed to the accident, including a lack of training, incomplete procedures, and critical safety checks that were missed. Ramkissoon was removing a nitrogen hose while awaiting a steam hose when a fire erupted near the condenser attached to the facility’s fractionation column. He had not been instructed to close the valve before detaching the hose, and abnormal wax tank conditions may have caused hydrocarbon vapours to backflow and ignite.

Three of the operators on duty at the time were trainees. Documentation had listed the task as high-risk and requiring a harness, but there was no record of Ramkissoon being outfitted with one. The fire alarm was not triggered, the emergency contact number was not in service, and night-shift workers had never been included in drills. It took nearly an hour for an ambulance to arrive.

Root causes were listed as “lack of knowledge,” “inadequate engineering,” and “inadequate standards.”

Former Energy Minister and former Prime Minister Stuart Young objected to the laying of the report without input from NiQuan. “Did independent senior counsel advise the Ministry... that the publication of the draft Ministry report, which has today been laid without the consent and comments of NiQuan, would equate to a breach of NiQuan’s constitutionally enshrined right?” he asked. 

Moonilal replied that he had sought and received advice from the Attorney General and acted accordingly.

Young then said he asked about external counsel and not,  “a dunce AG,” sparking uproar in the chamber. Because Speaker Jagdeo Singh said he did not hear the comment, Young was not made to apologise or withdraw the statement.  The supplemental question was ruled out of order by the Speaker. 

https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/report- ... 0308d9cb6e

pugboy
TunerGod
Posts: 29324
Joined: September 6th, 2003, 6:18 pm

Re: Petrotrin / NiQuan plant - Mothballed

Postby pugboy » June 18th, 2025, 9:55 pm

well duuhhh
when somebody refusing to release info it simply means they have something to hide

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