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Reference ID	Created	Released	Classification	Origin
06BRIDGETOWN1279	2006-07-20 21:14	2011-08-30 01:44	CONFIDENTIAL	Embassy Bridgetown

VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWN #1279 2012114
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 202114Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2975
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1475
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J5 MIAMI FL
RUEHCV/USDAO CARACAS VE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 001279 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2016 
TAGS: ENRG EPET PGOV PREL AC VE XL
SUBJECT: PETROCARIBE UPDATE #25:  ANTIGUA ESTABLISHES NEW 
JOINT VENTURE 
 
REF: A. BRIDGETOWN 1127 
 
     ¶B. BRIDGETOWN 877 
 
Classified By: PolOff Shannon E. Runyon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  The government of Antigua and Barbuda 
(GOAB) signed a joint-venture agreement with the Venezuelan 
National Petroleum Company (PDVSA) on July 14, making it the 
latest Caribbean country to enter into such an arrangement 
under the PetroCaribe oil accord.  This signing establishes 
"PDV Antigua and Barbuda," a new government-run entity to 
sell and supply Venezuelan fuel to its citizens.  Using the 
excess oil storage capacity of the West Indies Oil Company 
(WIOC), Antigua could become the Eastern Caribbean 
distribution center for PetroCaribe fuel.  Allowing the WIOC, 
a private company, into PetroCaribe is a major departure from 
Venezuela's original plan for state-to-state oil transfers 
and may open the door for other private companies to take 
part in the energy deal.  End Summary. 
 
-------------------------------- 
ANTIGUA SIGNS ON THE DOTTED LINE 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) On July 14, the government of Antigua and Barbuda 
signed a bilateral sales and supply agreement with Venezuela 
effectively establishing a new joint venture company, PDV 
Antigua and Barbuda.  This contract makes Antigua the fourth 
OECS country to agree to receive petroleum products through 
such an arrangement under the PetroCaribe oil accord, after 
Dominica, Grenada, and St. Kitts and Nevis (ref A).  St. 
Vincent and the Grenadines is reportedly in the process of 
negotiating a similar contract.  According to Alejandro 
Granados, Vice President of the Venezuelan National Petroleum 
Company (PDVSA), this latest deal will allow the GOAB to 
purchase up to a million barrels of fuel per year from 
Venezuela at concessionary financing rates. 
 
------------------------- 
POTENTIAL REPOSITORY PERK 
------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) In his remarks at the signing ceremony, PM Baldwin 
Spencer noted Venezuelan President Chavez's eagerness for the 
deal to be operational by the end of August.  To that end, 
Granados affirmed Venezuela's intent to provide the GOAB up 
to USD 47.5 million to construct any necessary infrastructure 
to expedite the agreement.  This desire for quick results may 
open the door to an agreement for PDV Antigua and Barbuda to 
use existing West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) storage 
facilities.  This "hub and spoke" distribution system would 
enable Antigua to serve as the repository and transshipment 
point for nearby smaller islands, such as St. Kitts and 
Nevis, which do not have adequate storage facilities to 
accept large oil shipments and could make the Venezuelan 
energy deal more feasible.  According to press reports, the 
GOAB has a 25 per cent interest in the WIOC, so the deal 
would not be in direct conflict with Venezuela's 
"government-only" plan for the accord. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶4.  (C) Venezuela has apparently compromised on its 
"government-only" plan for PetroCaribe by agreeing to use 
WIOC's storage facilities.  Chavez's socialist ideal for the 
energy agreement has clashed with the economic reality that 
these small island states cannot support state-run oil 
companies and it makes no sense for them to build storage 
facilities that duplicate existing private structures.  This 
compromise was necessary to counter recent grumblings about 
big promises from Venezuela but little or no petroleum 
delivery throughout the OECS.  It may also provide a 
precedent for future private company involvement in the 
venture, such as that of Barbados-based SOL (ref B).  The 
proposed storage and distribution of Venezuelan fuel using 
Antigua as a hub would help these small Eastern Caribbean 
governments solve one of their biggest logistical problems 
with the PetroCaribe deal. 
KRAMER

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Viewing cable 06BRIDGETOWN1279, PETROCARIBE UPDATE #25: ANTIGUA ESTABLISHES NEW