At the closing of the Trinidad and Tobago Energy Conference 2019, the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago’s (Energy Chamber) Energy Efficiency Declaration was launched. At the time of the launch, 11 of the major companies in the energy sector gave commitments towards achieving more efficient operations by committing to the declaration. At present, more than 50 companies have signed the declaration.
The companies that have signed are a wide cross section of energy sector companies from the upstream, downstream and services companies, and range from very large operators to small contractors and service companies.
There are significant national gains that can be made through energy efficiency, according to the Chairman of the Energy Efficiency and Alternative Energy Committee, Christopher Narine Thomas. He added that efficiency upgrades can lead to significant natural gas savings since gas that is used in power generation could then be diverted to the petrochemical sector where it can yield significant revenue to The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) and by extension the government. Narine- Thomas said that getting the industry to best-in-class levels of efficiency is the equivalent of unlocking a marginal field’s worth of gas without having to drill a new well.
While some options may be more costly than others, collaboration across the sector presents opportunities to reduce costs. In addition, the Energy Chamber is working on the creation of a carbon trading platform to further assist with financing.
The overall benefit to the economy is an improved reserve to production ratio, jobs, lower emissions and increased levels of foreign exchange.
Government support though is certainly needed for large capital expenditure projects to have meaningful impact in terms of reducing demand for electricity and also offsetting the cost of implementation.
It is therefore urgent that the government finalises the certification of energy services companies (ESCOs) to perform energy efficiency upgrades. The issue of ESCO certification has been around since 2010, when Parliament passed legislation creating a tax allowance that provides a 150 per cent tax credit on expenditure relating to energy efficiency audits and subsequent upgrades. The catch is that this tax credit can only be accessed once the work is carried out by an ESCO certified by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries; however, the Ministry has no system for certifying ESCOs so companies have not been able to access the tax credit.
This is a key barrier to getting energy efficiency projects moving.
However, the Energy Efficiency Declaration aims to encourage signatories to be inward-looking and to endeavour to increase the levels of energy efficiency and conservation in the following areas:
• Facilities: By examining the integration of energy-efficient technology, programmes and policies into existing operations;
• Natural gas utilisation, electricity generation and electricity consumption: By exploring and deploying opportunities to optimise the use of natural resources, raising the awareness of employees, contractors and partners and where applicable, examining the use of renewable and sustainable sources of energy;
• Transportation: Through further collaboration in aviation, land and marine transportation logistics, and where applicable, the use of energy-efficient technology.
Research has shown that simple initiatives can be undertaken and have significant gains in efficiency. Andre Escalante, Managing Director, Energy Dynamics, said that simple efficiency projects can have as much as 30 per cent savings in large buildings.
Building capacity in this area will be the beginning of a new industry in Trinidad and Tobago, one that can be self-sustaining and one that is certainly achievable with the local content that already exists in the country.
The Energy Efficiency Declaration is one of the first stepping stones towards achieving a more sustainable private sector and reducing the carbon dioxide (CO2) national emissions.
Companies that have signed the declaration
Allied Caterers Limited
AMOG Consulting S.A.S.
Artemis Energy Limited
Atlantic
Balanced Engineering & Construction Mgt Ltd
BHP Trinidad and Tobago
Bourbon Offshore Trinidad Ltd
BP Trinidad and Tobago
Cameron (Trinidad) Limited
Cargo Consolidators Agency Ltd
Caribbean Analytical Services Limited
Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI)
Caribbean Oceanic and Terrestrial Energy Equipment Limited
Classic Controls Inc
Columbus Communications Trinidad Limited
Compression and Power Services (1988) Limited
Damus Limited
Digi-Data Systems Limited
Direct H2O Technologies Limited
Douglas Boyce
EfficiencyOne Services
Energy Dynamics Limited
EOG Resources Trinidad
Equilibrium Environmental Services Limited
Iere Concepts Limited
In-Depth Drilling Solutions Ltd
Indocom Limited
Intelligent Business Advantage Limited
iTS Energy Services Ltd
Ixanos Intelligent Software Services
Kenesjay Systems Limited
Kennicon Engineering Limited
Lennox Petroleum Services Limited
Martulus-IQA Limited
Massy Energy Fabric Maintenance Ltd (formerly NM Caribbean Insulation
Services Ltd (NMCISL))
Methanex Trinidad Limited
Methanol Holdings (Trinidad) Ltd.
National Energy Skills Center (NESC)
Offshore Sharing Solutions Limited
Power Tech Petro Environmental Co. Ltd.
Process Components Limited - Procom
Process Management Limited
ROSE Environmental Limited
Servus Limited
Shell Trinidad and Tobago Limited
Southern Maintenance Services Company Limited
Sterlin's Electrical Supplies Limited
Superior Energy Services Trinidad Limited
Sylvester Engineering Limited
Team Air Condition Refrigeration Electrical Repairs & Services Co. Ltd
The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago
TOSL Engineering Ltd.
Touchstone Exploration (Trinidad) Ltd
V.K.D. Transport Limited
Waypoint Limited
Weldfab Limited
Well Services Petroleum Company Limited
Yara Trinidad Limited