Good afternoon and thank you for the invitation to once again speak at the Trinidad and Tobago Energy Conference 2020. I have watched this forum grow over the years, to become one of the largest and most respected in the region. And in all honesty, I am not surprised.
Through this conference, the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago continues to provide a platform for relevant and necessary discussions around the evolution of the energy sector. Information is exchanged, partnerships are made, and initiatives are birthed, right here, among energy stakeholders from across the region. And I must commend the Energy Chamber and its CEO, Dr. Dax Driver, for their continued commitment to the planning and execution of such a significant event.
Before I get into the meat of my presentation, I would like to highlight two points that form the basis of everything I will be saying:
1. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago recognises the importance of Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation and we are willing and ready to play a lead role in driving the transformation towards the sustainable use of energy.
2. EE&EC is everybody’s business.
If you remember anything from this presentation, let it be these two points.
This afternoon, I will be sharing with you Trinidad and Tobago’s proposed roadmap towards a more sustainable energy future, specifically as it relates to Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation (EE&EC). But as in everything else, it is important that I lay the groundwork by highlighting the global and regional contexts that make this transition an imperative, not just for us, but for every global citizen.
We all know about carbon dioxide emissions and their contribution to global warming. The impact of a higher average temperatures is particularly devastating for Small Island Development States like ours.
Warmer and higher seas, coral bleaching, eroding coastlines, compromised water tables, extreme weather conditions with increased frequency– all of these are not only probable but already occurring thanks to global warming.
And the prognosis does not get better.
The latest data published by the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that the world is on track for a rise in average temperature of over 3⁰C by the year 2100, which is far above what scientists deem safe for human existence.
We don’t have to look too far for evidence of this. The fact that 2019’s global average temperatures were the second highest on record is proof enough. In keeping with that trend, we in Trinidad and Tobago experienced what can only be described as schizophrenic weather conditions. Which caused me, as Minister of Public Utilities, to raise the cry for water conservation as we sought to manage our severely depleted water supply, as our dams and reservoirs have been depleted and is in need for serious focus.
The global community has responded to the threat of global warming by making reduced carbon dioxide emissions a priority. And as such, EE&EC have been placed at the centre of international policy discussions, including the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 7.
In 2015, Trinidad and Tobago signed the Paris Agreement and subsequently completed our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Implementation Plan. That plan, which will serve as a guide for reducing our carbon dioxide emissions at a national level, was adopted by the relevant United Nations secretariat in February of 2018.
Government’s vision, as outlined not just in the NDC Implementation Plan, but also in our Vision 2030 document, places the environment at the centre of socio-economic development in Trinidad and Tobago. That is, in fact, the fifth of five themes which represent the long-term perspectives or outcomes envisioned for Trinidad and Tobago up to the year 2030. These themes also serve to highlight the commitments that will be taken to achieve those outcomes.
One such commitment, as outlined in Vision 2030, is the reduction of our carbon footprint through improved energy efficiency.
In keeping with this goal, Cabinet appointed a Committee last year to develop an Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency Policy and Action Plan for Trinidad and Tobago. The committee, which comprised representatives of several Government Ministries and Agencies, as well as members of this Energy Chamber, has since completed that document, some elements of which were included in the 2020 National Budget.
As it carried out the necessary research for the formulation of the Policy and Action Plan, the Committee looked at similar documents that had been developed and implemented in other countries. A comparative analysis was carried out with Jamaica, Nova Scotia, Chile, Scotland and Indonesia, and key lessons from their experiences were identified and taken into account.
Jamaica, for example, created an enabling financial environment for SME’s to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. While Scotland adopted a multi-faceted approach with both supply and demand side measures.
Some of these countries also faced challenges similar to ours. Both Indonesia, Chile and Scotland, implemented Energy Efficiency and Conservation initiatives in response to declining energy reserves.
But as useful as the comparative analysis is, the Trinidad and Tobago situation is unique and a number of factors had to be taken into consideration when mapping the way forward.
One such factor is our energy mix, which is predominantly dependent on natural gas. That resource, which was once in abundant supply, is now in decline and a supply/demand mismatch has emerged. That mismatch, coupled with the fact that natural gas for power generation is given priority at a lower than market price, has resulted in the value of that resource not being maximised.
Our contractual obligations in a number of Power Purchase Agreements, including the agreement to purchase power from TGU for the aluminium smelter. (That agreement still holds although the smelter was not built.)
This state of affairs, along with the global concerns mentioned earlier, was what led to the commissioning of the Multi-Agency Energy Conservation and Efficiency Committee.
The Policy and Action plan formulated by that Committee sets the foundation for a sustainable energy future by creating a nexus between the necessary national focus, intergovernmental coordination and collaboration with stakeholders. All for the purpose of implementing energy efficiency and conservation.
And it does this via the implementation of nine goals and strategic actions over the period 2020-2024. These goals, which can be defined as short-term, are:
1. To mobilise our citizenry to be more energy and resource conscious and to actively practice EC&EE in the conduct of their daily lives and in the operation of their businesses
2. To maximise the returns from our natural gas resources
3. To advance the achievement of our commitments under the Paris Agreement as well as the UN SDGs for reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
4. To aggressively pursue EC&EE in all sectors of the economy, working with key stakeholders to create a new industry and build an effective enabling environment
5. To generate coordinated and sustained action by Government Ministries and Agencies in leading EC&EE initiatives in all state-owned buildings, facilities and infrastructures
6. To accelerate the transformation of the transport sector towards greater energy efficiency and in so doing reduce our liquid fuel import requirements
7. To invest in the continued development of the power sector to provide an adequate, reliable and resilient electricity supply consistent with our economic and social development goals
8. To position Tobago on a low carbon development path consistent with the brand of “Tobago Beyond the Ordinary”, with particular attention on transport and tourism
9. To stimulate research and development into innovative technologies and systems that advance EC&EE.
One of the more noteworthy aspects of these goals, is the extent to which they involve every sector of the society. From the residential and business sector, to transportation and the public service – our policy and action plan are geared towards shifting perceptions, attitudes and behaviour and towards creating new opportunities for EC&EE, across the board.
This, of course, can only be accomplished through the establishment of an enabling environment, which must encompass the skills and technical capacity needed to achieve the goals of the EC& EE Policy. Financing and the provision of attractive incentives are also critical success factors.
This enabling environment, once it is established, will push the national thrust towards EC&EE, in much the same way that a catalyst enables a chemical reaction. Once these conditions are present, stakeholders will find that it is in their individual and collective interests to implement Energy Efficient and Energy Conserving initiatives. And the societal shift towards sustainable energy use will begin.
But even as we work to establish that enabling environment, we will be implementing some of the strategies and initiatives outlined in the Policy and Action Plan.
One such initiative is the conducting of energy audits in all Government state-owned buildings to inform the implementation of technical retrofits.
As part of a pilot for that initiative, an audit has already been completed in Tower C of the International Waterfront Centre in Port of Spain. And proposals are being evaluated for a retrofitting exercise which will include the installation of energy saving bulbs, and timers to automate the turning on and off of lights and AC units. An information drive will also be launched internally, which would educate each tenant in the building about energy consumption and conservation.
The completed audit estimates that just turning off the lights when the building is not in use will save about $350,000 a year. And this is just one of the many interesting facts that it has brought to light. The audit of Tower C provides with a goldmine of information on how we utilise energy and how we can use it more efficiently. As such, the lessons learned from the pilot project will be used to create energy conservation protocols that will be followed at all Government institutions.
Even as this initiative is implemented in Government buildings, efforts to encourage Energy Efficiency and conservation would extend to various sectors across Trinidad and Tobago.
We will, for example, be working with the Private Sector, inclusive of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), to boost competitiveness and improve technological capabilities through the implementation of relatively low-cost energy efficient systems.
In addition to this, and following consultation with industry, Government will encourage all “high energy-intensity” users to perform energy audits in order to determine their level of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and their level of efficiency, specifically as it relates to their use of natural gas.
As the introductory video shows, members of the private sector have already taken the initiative and incorporated energy efficiency and conservation into their infrastructure and operations. I would like to commend these corporate citizens for their civic-mindedness, even as I urge them to deepen the process, while encouraging others to join them.
Transitioning to more sustainable energy practices, does not only benefit the consumer’s bottom line, as the audit of Tower C illustrates, but it also secures significant pay-offs for the country, as a whole.
Estimates show that an aggressive EC&EE Programme can, over the next four years save as much as TT$1 billion in energy costs, and conserve 29 billion cubic feet of natural gas, which can then be sold on the market for TT$773 million.
By 2030, energy cost savings would amount to TT$2.72 billion. While accumulated natural gas savings of 89 billion cubic feet could bring in an additional TT$2.5 billion in revenue.
All this, while meeting our international obligations by lowering our carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 18 million tons.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what I call a win for the individual, a win for the country, and a win for the environment.
But as I said back in 2018, securing a sustainable energy future requires collaboration on all fronts. Individuals and households, businesses and the private sector, Governments, and regional and international bodies – we must all put our hands to the wheel to ensure that, not only our individual entities and countries, but the region, benefits in the long-term.
Of course, the longest journey begins with the smallest step. And so, we will be executing a number of key strategies and actions aimed at facilitating the shift to sustainable energy usage.
1. We will be implementing a series of public education and awareness building activities that will cause citizens to rethink their energy usage and embrace responsible energy behaviours.
2. We will introduce sustainable energy education in the school curricula.
3. We will be collaborating with the private sector, academia and international organisations to explore different applications of hydrogen within the local economy.
4. And we have already started on this one, which is the gradual replacement of traditional lights on streets, highways, parks and recreation grounds with energy efficient lighting. These are just a few of the strategies that will be implemented over the period 2020-2024.
We, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago remain committed to the vision of a national community that uses its resources sustainably and responsibly so as to ensure our continued development and a desirable future for those who will come after. We will work to achieve that vision by creating the enabling environment locally and by establishing the necessary regional and international partnerships.
It is my hope that some of those collaborations will be forged right here during this conference. And so, I urge you to make the most of your time here. Learn from each other, but more importantly, find ways of working together for the good of our countries, our region and the world.
In closing, I would like to remind us of an African proverb that I often make reference to because it embodies the importance of collective action: “If you wish to go quickly, go alone. But if you wish to go far, go together.”