The idea had its genesis with Patrick Manning, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who announced in 2002 that his country was going to undertake one of the largest civil engineering projects in the Caribbean region.
[citation needed] The project suffered a brief setback when Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez petitioned intensely that the pipeline should instead originate from Venezuela and reach further into the north, including Cuba and the United States.
[2][3][4] The overall pipeline would be 596 miles (959 km) long, including shore approaches and the lateral line to Barbados.
[1] The first 177-mile (285 km) long stage would start from the Cove Point Estate in Tobago and run to Barbados.
The project is developed by the Eastern Caribbean Gas Pipeline Company Limited (ECGPC).