Senior Reporter
Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal has dismissed a claim that NGC Green owes CNG operators more than $450,000 each in electricity reimbursements. But Petroleum Dealers Association president Robin Naraynsingh said electricity costs have long been a contentious issue among dealers and warned that CNG operations may not be sustainable.
“We have received the release from the NGC, which is self-explanatory. Someone is up to mischief, it seems,” Moonilal said when asked about a notice posted at the Carrousel Service Station on the Naparima-Mayaro Road in San Fernando.
Naraynsingh said electricity costs associated with CNG operations had long been a concern. He recalled that former Energy Minister Franklin Khan had told the association that National Petroleum (NP) would pay the excess electricity costs.
The arrangement was discussed at one of the association’s meetings, Naraynsingh said, although he could not recall how many stations were involved. He said high electricity costs made it difficult for dealers to sustain CNG operations, given their narrow profit margins and other operating expenses.
The unsigned notice at the Carrousel station said it was reducing services because of “unsustainable financial constraints”. It claimed NGC Green “currently owes each CNG Operator/Dealer over $450,000 in outstanding reimbursements for industrial electricity rates consumed from March 2025 to the end of October 2026”.
The notice said the alleged debt meant the station could no longer maintain normal staffing levels, regular CNG shift allocations or 24-hour operations.
When the Guardian Media visited the station yesterday, vehicles were lined up for fuel, including CNG, with the queue stretching into the roadway. Attendants were serving motorists, and the notice was no longer on the dispenser.
The station carries the NP brand but is privately owned. Staff declined to confirm or deny whether operations had been adjusted, saying the owner was absent and that NP could be contacted for further information. The owner could not be reached for comment.
Naraynsingh said he had not been told the exact amount outstanding and could not confirm the $450,000 figure cited in the notice.
“I have not had any communication with the exact amount that is outstanding, but I know it has been a very contentious issue with some of the dealers who operate the CNG station,” he said.
He said electricity consumption varied among stations, so the amounts involved would differ.
“The figures on the electricity bill speak for themselves. Each station will have varied amounts. Not every station will have the same amount of electricity consumption.”
In a release on Monday, NGC Green described the claim as “false, libellous, inaccurate, untruthful and misleading”. It said it did not owe any operator or dealer more than $450,000 and had sought legal advice to protect its reputation and that of employees named in the notice.
Guardian Media contacted NGC Green for further comment on the reimbursement arrangements, the alleged outstanding payments and whether any stations had reduced their operating hours. No response was received.
Naraynsingh said CNG was still being supplied at stations, but questioned how long dealers could continue to bear the costs.
“Well, for the time being. I don’t know how long it can be sustainable.”
He called on the Ministry of Energy to meet with the association to address the issue.
“The Ministry of Energy has to meet with the Petroleum Dealers Association to at least come to some agreement,” he said, warning that the dispute could affect the country’s transportation system.
Guardian Media also contacted Moonilal to ask whether the ministry was aware of a payment dispute, whether CNG supply was secure and whether he would request a report from NGC Green. His response did not address those questions.
It remains unclear whether any electricity reimbursements are outstanding, how much may be owed, which entity is responsible for the payments, or whether any CNG station has reduced its operating hours.
