The United National Congress said it will not accept responsibility or allow the government to cast blame on its members for the National Gas Company’s $2.1 billion loss recorded for the financial year ending December 31, 2020, or any current problems facing the energy sector.

At a virtual press conference on Sunday, the Opposition responded to comments by Minister of Energy and Energy Industries Stuart Young last week, of “bad deals” made during the People's Partnership's term as the reason why the NGC has landed itself in a bad place today.

In June, the NGC said its financial performance was affected by $4.2 billion charges originating from onerous contracts, impairment of infrastructure, and claims.

At a post-Cabinet press briefing last Thursday, Young insisted the losses faced at NGC were a direct link to a contract signed just before the 2015 general election by the People’s Partnership.

In response, UNC Senator Wade Mark said NGC's challenges were a result of a gas deal agreed to by the Prime Minister and Young in Texas in 2019.

“You come to this country and to tell undisputed lies. When you know that you were responsible for what has happened in Houston, Texas, 2017. You agree upon a price of US$3.50 per MMBtu when NGC was only able to afford US$3.10; that is US$0.40 above what NGC could have afforded.”

He challenged Dr Rowley, “Was it a cabinet decision, or was it you, as the chairman of the energy subcommittee… The prime minister is the one responsible directly for the madness that has taken place at NGC, because of the miss-negotiations that took place in 2017, and those prices took effect in 2019.”

Former energy minister Kevin Ramnarine also criticised Young.

He said under the People’s Partnership NGC was paying far less for natural gas compared to the price in 2021.

In a three-part Facebook post, Ramnarine dismissed comments by Young that the Energy sector plummeted under the People's Partnership.

[caption id="attachment_897108" align="alignnone" width="804"] Kevin Ramnarine -[/caption]

He said, “In September 2015 all four LNG trains were operational. Today Train 1 has been down for the last eight months. In September 2015 all twenty plants at Point Lisas were operational. Today the M1, Titan, Mittal and Yara plants are closed and others have closed and reopened but are limping.

“In September 2015, Petrotrin was fully operational as was the refinery. Today, the refinery has been closed going on three years and may never reopen.

“In 2015, natural gas production was 3.8 billion cubic feet per day. Today it is 2.8 billion cubic feet per day. A 26 per cent decline. In 2015 crude oil production averaged 78,360 barrels a day. In 2021 it has thus far averaged 58,431 barrels per day. A 25 per cent decline.

“From 2011-2015, the Ministry of Energy awarded 1.42 million hectares of new acreage for exploration. For the last six years, it has awarded no new acreage for exploration.

In 2015, rig days stood at 2765. In 2020 rig days dropped to 822. From 2011 to 2015 total rig days were 1