Above: St George’s, Grenada

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Grenada and Trinidad have signed a cooperation agreement on energy development, according to Trinidad’s Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs.

The framework agreement was signed Sept. 3 by Trinidad Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine and Grenada Energy Minister Nazim Burke.

It will advance the joint exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in the waters in Trinidad and Grenada, according to a statement from the Ministry.

Ramnarine said the pact would “spur the development of our countries to bring benefits to our people in respect of jobs, income and opportunities.”

The agreement will also cover a range of other potential areas of cooperation, including developing technical programmes, the conduct of joint seismic surveys and joint exploration, along with joint development for the “unitization” of hydrocarbon reservoirs and the transfer of energy skills between the two states.

“This is the first such agreement between Trinidad and Tobago and another CARICOM country, executed within a framework for the further development of the regional integration movement as envisaged in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which calls for the promotion of the development of the region’s natural resources on a sustainable basis,” the Ministry said in the statement.

The two states began the joint energy talks in September 2011, when Burke said Grenada sought to learn from Trinidad’s significant oil expertise.

Those talks resulted in a draft framework agreement.

A controversy over offshore oil exploration arose in May, when an article in the Trinidad Express alleged a conflict between Grenada and Trinidad over certain oil blocks in the maritime areas between the two countries.

Both states denied that any of the blocks were in Grenadian waters.