FORMER prime minister Dr Keith Rowley has warned the government’s plan to reopen the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery could expose taxpayers to new financial losses and potentially lead to private interests gaining control of Paria Fuel Trading Company.

Speaking during a Facebook Live broadcast on November 17, Rowley dismissed claims the refinery was shuttered for political reasons under the former PNM administration. He insisted the closure stemmed solely from the refinery’s untenable financial position.

“We shut down the refinery because our local oil production was too low. We were buying 100,000 barrels of oil per day to refine, and on many instances had to be paid for from the Treasury.”