Venezuela is making efforts to revive a long-stalled offshore gas project in the Plataforma Deltana area, urging major energy companies, including BP, Chevron, and Shell, to engage in fresh research and operations. The Plataforma Deltana region is divided into five blocks, extending into the waters of Trinidad and Tobago.

The project has faced challenges, including insufficient funding, incomplete resource-sharing agreements with Trinidad and Tobago, and unclear investment regulations. While Trinidad's share of the largest reservoir, Manatee, was approved for development by Shell in 2019, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro recently retracted that decision, emphasizing collaborative development.

Chevron, the only company to complete exploration in Plataforma Deltana, certified 7.3 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas in 2010. However, production never commenced. Equinor and TotalEnergies returned one block to Venezuela after a non-commercial discovery, and Russia's Rosneft explored another block without completing the work. One of the five blocks was never awarded.

Sources suggest that Venezuela is specifically targeting blocks 2 and 4 for renewed exploration, focusing on the Manatee project by Shell and the Manakin shallow water block by BP on the Trinidadian side. Talks between BP and the Government of Trinidad aim to co-produce gas at the Manakin field once negotiations for the Manatee project conclude.

Chevron is engaged in discussions regarding its license, and Venezuela has reached out to Australian company Melbana Energy, which could potentially lead to a seismic contract for less-explored blocks. While PDVSA, Melbana, Trinidad's energy ministry, and Venezuela's oil ministry have not commented on the matter, BP expressed its continued interest in the Manakin field as part of its long-term regional growth plan.

The Plataforma Deltana project is of strategic importance and proximity to disputed waters with Guyana, making its revival a focal point for collaborative efforts and energy development in the region.