The Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago is pleased to announce the finalists of the Innovation & Technology Challenge 2026. The Challenge takes place at the T&T Energy Conference 2026 on January 27th at 12:00 pm. At that time, the five finalists will present their innovations, after which conference delegates—comprised of energy sector executives and industry experts—will vote on the most innovative project.
In the past, finalists and winners have gone on to receive international awards and recognition for their projects.
In 2026, twelve applications were received and reviewed by an expert committee comprising Emerson John Charles, Chair of the Innovation Association of Trinidad and Tobago; Julian Henry, Director of the Office of Institutional Advancement and Internationalisation at the University of the West Indies; and Crispin Chatar, Consultant. The top five applications were selected to move forward.
Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development and Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Senator the Hon. Dr. Kennedy Swaratsingh will be on hand to present the award to the winner of the Innovation Challenge at the T&T Energy Conference.
In 2026, the following projects were selected (in no particular order):
Vetiver TT Ecological Engineering Solutions Ltd - High-performance, low-energy wastewater treatment system engineered for Caribbean industrial waste streams
This innovation combines horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetlands with targeted microbial inoculants to create a high-performance, low-energy wastewater treatment system engineered for Caribbean industrial waste streams. The system is a new-to-region adaptation designed specifically for tropical leachate, high iron concentrations, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and suspended solids commonly found in Trinidad’s landfills and industrial sites.
Vetiver TT has implemented a pilot system in Forres Park that integrates gravel, clay, and soil layers with Vetiver zizanioides to remove contaminants through filtration, sorption, precipitation, and rhizosphere-driven microbial degradation.
Blewcoast: BlewLedger - GHG Emissions Management Platform
BlewLedger is an audit-grade GHG emissions management platform tailored for the Caribbean, supporting accurate collection, analysis, and management of GHG emission data. It uniquely combines global scientific standards (IPCC/GHG Protocol) while addressing critical regional gaps ignored by generic global tools. Supported by an integrated Sustainability Operating Management System (SOMS), it merges Scientific measurement, Accounting, and Assurance (SAS) into one turnkey framework. With customized performance tracking and robust analytics for products, projects, and entities, decision-making is driven by sustainability data with the same control and accuracy as financial data.
Unlike other global tools, BlewLedger combines scientific rigor (IPCC/GHG Protocol/ISO 14064 compliance) with financial-grade accounting to transform raw operational data into audit-ready, investor-grade GHG inventories.
3. Sky Clarity Limited - Automated Machine Learning Predictive Maintenance Engine
The Automated Machine Learning Predictive Maintenance Engine (PM-Pilot) is a one-click platform that tells you exactly when and why your equipment might fail. It transforms raw sensor data, historical weather data, and maintenance activities into instant, plain-English insights. Unlike traditional predictive analytics tools that require continuous connectivity and specialized data science teams, PM-Pilot runs locally at remote or offshore facilities and delivers near-instant predictions with clear recommendations.
It analyzes all available equipment sensor streams, correlates sensor-to-sensor interactions, and incorporates historical maintenance records to provide relevant operational insights. The system also accounts for environmental conditions to forecast failures, optimizes operating schedules, and identifies degradation trends long before alarms trigger. The system automatically generates work orders, recommends parameter adjustments, and provides predicted equipment remaining useful life, thereby helping operators avoid downtime, reduce recurring failures, extend equipment life, and significantly reduce flare-related emissions.
4. Caribbean Gas Chemical Limited - Operational Philosophy Innovations for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction
This submission presents two integrated operational philosophy innovations that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption at our methanol production facility.
The first innovation involves operating the plant with the natural-gas booster compressor fully bypassed. Through engineering analysis and operational redesign, we identified that stable and reliable production could be maintained without the compressor, resulting in an electricity reduction of approximately 20,000 MWh annually. This equates to an annual reduction of over 10,000 tCO2e (tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent).
The second innovation optimizes steam-generation performance by operating with only one of the two auxiliary boilers under normal conditions. This new strategy minimizes fuel consumption (an annual reduction of over 4,000 kNm3 of Natural Gas), reduces steam venting, and improves overall thermal efficiency. This equates to an annual reduction of approximately 8,500 tCO2e
Together, these innovations have already contributed to an annual reduction of 18,500 tCO2e
5. Navin Seeterram & Associates: Smart Mountain - Utilising AI, blockchain and dMRV technology to develop decarbonisation and climate finance digital rails to commercialise capex-constrained projects
Smart Mountain is a startup project developing a digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) platform that enables T&T's ammonia, fertilizer, and petrochemical producers to meet EU/UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) compliance requirements while unlocking carbon finance for CAPEX-constrained decarbonizing projects.
The platform integrates three capabilities: (1) automated, audit-ready quarterly CBAM reporting from plant data and satellite-enabled monitoring; (2) ROI modeling tools that simulate decarbonization investment payback under CBAM price volatility; and (3) a multi-stakeholder governance dashboard linking producers, regulators, and project developers.
This integrated platform is a new-to-market innovation for T&T, climate finance, and the global energy sector. It repurposes proven components into a programmatic, national-scale infrastructure tailored specifically to energy-intensive exporters facing CBAM and the opportunity to participate in voluntary and Article 6 carbon markets.