GEISHA KOWLESSAR-ALONZO
Senior reporter
geisha.kowlessar@guardian.co.tt
T&T needs to have a legislative framework in place before wind turbines can be introduced Minister of Public Utilities, Marvin Gonzales said yesterday.
He was speaking to members of the media following the conference “Strategy for Wind Power Generation” which took place at Hyatt Regency yesterday.
The proposal which was funded by the EU proposes to develop wind power generation in T&T which is estimated to cost between US$7 million and US$8 million.
“Your licensing regime must be very clear. The Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission Act, the RIC regulatory framework must be very clear and therefore necessary amendments must be made and all of the policy framework must be settled so your international partners can have a clear idea as to direction the country wants to go that they can make the necessary investments,” Gonzales explained.
He described such an undertaking as very expensive.
However, the minister said the Government has made tremendous strides over the last two to three years, working on a number of legislative and policy frameworks to set the stage.
Minister of Planning and Development Pennelope Beckles, who also spoke at the conference, noted that T&T has a high per capita energy consumption of 5911 kilowatt hours per capita in 2019 when compared to the world average of three thousand eighty one kilowatt hours per capita.
She added that nearly half of the households in this country have a consumption level that is on par with the North American households and nearly three times the global average.
Additionally, Beckles said T&T’s electricity generation is also almost solely dependent on natural gas, consuming approximately eight per cent of total natural gas produced in the country, while also noting that total greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 were estimated as 41 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide.
“These unflattering statistics, coupled with the increasingly progressive international climate agenda, encouraged the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to pursue climate action through the development of a broad climate agenda,” Beckles said.
However, she noted that this country became a party to numerous international legally binding agreements on matters relating to climate change including the United Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement.
According to Beckles, becoming party to these agreements not only signalled to the global community that T&T is serious in its intent to help tackle this crisis but it also allowed the country access to the international programmes, resources and technical assistance to support efforts locally.
