THE HAGUE--The Dutch Government is keeping a keen eye on the consequences that the lien placed by US oil giant ConocoPhillips on the assets of the Venezuela state oil firm PdVSA might have for Bonaire and St. Eustatius.
Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops told reporters on Wednesday, that the Dutch Government will take measures in order to guarantee fuel and electricity in Bonaire, following the seizing of the oil reserves stored at Bonaire Petroleum Corporation BOPEC.
Knops said during Wednesday’s Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting that he, with Minister of Economic Affairs Erik Wiebes, provided an update on the developments following the legal seizure of PdVSA assets in Curaçao, Bonaire and St. Eustatius by ConocoPhillips. “It is a big, complicated issue,” he said.
While the issue at hand falls under the responsibility of Minister Wiebes, Knops assured that measures would be taken to ensure that there was enough fuel in Bonaire to produce electricity for the island. He said that sufficient energy could be guaranteed for the short term.
“We will look into how we can arrange something for the long term,” said Knops, who added that the Dutch Government was keeping in close contact with the islands. He stated that the matter also affected St. Eustatius where PdVSA has stored large quantities of oil at the NuStar Energy facility.
The State Secretary did not provide more details on the issue and referred the media to Minister Wiebes. He also said that divulging more information on the matter at this time did not contribute to finding a solution.
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/76481-the-hague-keeps-tab-on-effects-of-lien-on-pdvsa
