Communities in South West Trinidad have been rocked by the sound of an early morning explosion at the NiQuan Energy Trinidad LTD plant on Southern Main Road, Pointe-A-Pierre. Residents heard the blast in neighbouring communities as far away as San Fernando, Vistabella, Princes Town and Duncan Village where they reported being awakened around 6.30 am, today (April 7, 2020) by the noise. Cari-Bois News, citizen journalist, Faviola Whittier, was in San Fernando at the time of the blast and compared the sound coming from Point-A-Pierre to very loud thunder.
Whittier reports that in the immediate aftermath of the blast, some people headed to the Southern Main Road to take photographs for up to half an hour before the road way was closed off to the public. She described the prevailing emotion among people in the area as one of confusion saying that everyone is now seeking information about the cause of the blast. It is not yet known if there were any casualties as a result of the blast.
The plant was formerly built by the Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (Petrotrin) as a gas to liquid plant and was sold to new owners who rebranded to NiQuan Energy Trinidad, Limited (NETL). Their website describes NETL as a subsidiary of NiQuan Energy, LLC which is developing a “2400 bpd GTL plant in Point-a-Pierre in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.”
Cari-bois News will be following this story.
