We are in the midst of a revolution. Digital technology is transforming every aspect of human lives, levelling the playing field and causing shifts in the balance of global power. Germany has sought to hijack and capitalise on this movement to the benefit of its manufacturing sector by labelling it ‘Industrie 4.0’ (Industry 4.0) and positioning itself as the world leader. While creating a focus for research and development (R&D) activities in larger Germany companies, its allimportant ‘Mittelstand’ or small and medium enterprises (SME) sector has been a bit slower to adopt the emerging technologies, and it is debatable whether Germany really is the global leader.
Just another of his PR stunts or not, in the past week the Public Service Association’s leader, Watson Duke, threatened a sickout due to a dispute over health claims by some 400 workers at the Housing Development Corporation.
The merit of his claims is something to be sorted between the PSA, HDC’s managers and, if needed, the relevant tribunals. However, what cannot be ignored is Mr Duke’s threat of having public servants skipping work in a coordinated way because, to put it in plain English, that is a strike and that is illegal.
Oil players in Trinidad & Tobago are urging changes to the government’s supplemental petroleum tax on oil production, which they say in its current form discourages investment and inhibits oil exploration.
Fossil fuels are going to remain an important part of the energy mix for many years to come, but renewable energy is growing quickly. Trinidad and Tobago needs to be aware of this reality and embrace the global energy transition to a lowercarbon future. The energy transition is being driven not just by climate change policies, but also by technological innovation and the changing economics that the technological revolution has spurred.
If Guyana is to experience sustained growth leading to the development of a worldclass energy industry that benefits the local economy, it is critical that a robust safety culture is embraced now. Imperative would be the adoption of safety systems and procedures that international operators consider basic to a safe and productive operation. Adherence to such systems would also give locally owned and operated contractors greater access to work in the sector, which will enhance local content development.
The energy sector has predominantly had more males than females in senior roles. This is a global phenomenon and is not unique to Trinidad and Tobago. The International Energy Association (IEA) stated in an article in 2018 that the energy sector remains one of the least gender-diverse sectors, despite recent efforts to promote and encourage women’s participation. The IEA article alludes to inclusion of all human resources for key drivers of innovative and inclusive solutions.
The value and volume of business for energy services companies remain below normal. Fifty-nine per cent of energy services companies polled indicated that the value of their business was down in the third quarter of 2018.
DeNovo moved from start-up, new upstream operator to Trinidad and Tobago’s first local natural gas producer in just under 3 years, delivering first gas from the Iguana field in Block 1(a) in November 2018. Founded in 2016 by Joel “Monty” Pemberton, DeNovo’s Iguana greenfield development involved drilling three production wells, installing a Sea Swift conductor supported platform, along with a 45 km offshore and onshore pipeline, and constructing an onshore Gas Processing Unit with a capacity to process up to 90 MMSCFD of natural gas.
In 2018, the national spotlight was on the closure of the Petrotrin refinery and many were concerned about the availability of refined products, in particular, transport fuels. Most of these concerns appear to have been alleviated with the functioning of the new company, Paria Fuel Trading Company.
The first few months of 2019 are set to be a busy time for deepwater exploration in Trinidad and Tobago, with BHP reportedly set to drill three wells to follow up its Bongos 2 discovery last year. The Bongos 2 well was drilled in BHP’s Trinidad and Tobago Deep Atlantic Area (TTDAA) Block 14, in deepwater east of Tobago. BP holds a non-operator share in the block. The wells will be drilled by the Deepwater Invictus drillship, which has been drilling for BHP in TTDAA and the Gulf of Mexico.
It is my pleasure to deliver this keynote address at this most renowned Conference that has grown from strength to strength, it is Premier in the Caribbean. I look forward to this as it presents an opportunity to showcase the state of the domestic energy sector and to outline plans for the year ahead.
Good morning. Thank you for the kind welcome. It’s my pleasure to be here, and to be addressing this conference for the first time. It’s been an interesting and enjoyable start and I look forward to continuing to build my knowledge of the industry here as well as playing an active role in shaping its future.
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Trinidad & Tobago Energy Conference 2019. I would like to say a special welcome to all our international visitors and also to those of you who are attending the conference for the first time.
Once again, it is my distinct honour and pleasure to deliver the feature address at this the opening of 2019 Energy Conference and Trade Show hosted by the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago. I want to thank the organizers for the sterling effort dedicated towards organizing this very important event and for being so kind to invite me to address you. It is an opportune moment, coming soon after my nationwide broadcasts and public conversations with the nation, on the state of affairs of the economy of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) and particularly, the contribution of the energy sector.
Trinidad & Tobago’s energy sector is predicted to make a modest recovery in 2019, on the back of increased natural gas production and hence increased LNG and petrochemical exports. However, this recovery is fragile and could be threatened by continued low oil prices, especially if gas and petrochemical prices also decline. While gas production is predicted to increase, the future of oil production largely relies upon the successful transformation of the legacy Petrotrin upstream assets into the new Heritage Petroleum company and the ability of the new company to attract capital and successfully drill new wells, improve the integrity of its existing assets and improve operational efficiency.
In a few years from now, we may look back at events in 2018 as the beginning of a turning point in industrial relations in Trinidad and Tobago.
Perenco T&T Limited advises all mariners that on or around 28th December 2018 the company will be conducting a Geophysical Survey within the TSP Block, to collect data on the seafloor structure.
At approximately 11.25 a.m. yesterday (Thursday December 20, 2018), Heritage Petroleum’s HSE department received reports of oil having been sighted in the vicinity between RP1 and Platform 9, Soldado Main Field. The Company’s Oil Spill Contingency Plan was immediately activated and the relevant personnel were dispatched to the scene.
The Safe TO Work Implementation Board wishes to remind all contractors and operators that the recommended colour for certification of slings for the next period i.e. January 1st – June 30th 2019 is Orange. The recommended colours and the relevant time periods are indicated below. This colour pattern will repeat for subsequent two year periods.
Sustainable development refers to a process of thoughtful growth that enables societies to meet their needs today without jeopardising the viability of future generations. The global compact to grow by this principle is elaborated in 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) that have been set and agreed by members of the United Nations General Assembly. These SDGs are targets for nations to meet by 2030 that tackle a broad range of development issues, such as poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, gender equality, water, sanitation, energy, urban growth and social justice.
