TT moves to cash in on sunshine – PM turns sod on 1st of two solar power plants

THE Prime Minister says TT country is breaking important ground to secure its economic future through the start of Project Lara.

Dr Rowley made the observation when he addressed the sod-turning ceremony at Brechin Castle, Couva, for the first of two solar photovoltaic plants that comprise the project.

The second plant will be built in Orange Grove, near Trincity.

The two plants will have a combined capacity to generate a total of 112.2 mw of solar electricity.

In October 2021, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said the estimated cost to build the plants is US$100 million.

Project Lara is a joint venture comprised of multi-national energy giants bp and Shell, and specialist solar energy company Lightsource bp.

Rowley told the audience that Project Lara represented part of TT's strategy to maximise the benefits it receives from oil and natural gas, tap into the economic potential offered by renewable energy and keep its commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement.

"TT is making a statement today that we are joining the world's effort of reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

As TT does this, he continued, "We as an economy are placing our future on the ability to extract solar power and drive our economy by selling products made from hydrocarbons with some element of greenery."

When operational, Rowley said the two plants could provide at least ten per cent of power to the national electricity grid. He added, while this was small, the plants could have satisified 100 per cent of Tobago's electricity needs had then been placed there.

He hinted that Project Lara would not be only renewable energy project that Government would pursue. Rowley identified a location in western Tobago where solar panels could be constructed.

While options in renewable energy are being explored, Rowley reiterated that TT would not be exiting the hydrocarbon arena which it has operated in for over a century.

He said, the hydrocarbon market remained one of the largest markets in the global economy.

"We will not get out of the (oil and gas) business and leave others in it, to instruct us how to run our affairs."

Rowley said initiatives like Project Lara would involve less natural gas being used to generate electricity.

He added this will allow gas to be available "either as a petrochemical shipment or as an LNG (liquefied natural gas) shipment.

"We will kill two birds with one stone. We will reduce our carbon emissions and we will earn foreign exchange by simply changing the product from one to the other."

Rowley said changing patterns of energy consumption from one commodity to another, is nothing new to TT.

"Our country has known change. There was a time in this country when charcoal was our major energy source."

Had that remained so, Rowley said, there would have been serious deforestation in TT to access charcoal.

Reflecting on the shift from charcoal to natural gas, Rowley was confident about the success of renewable energy alternatives like solar power.

"If it's one thing that we have a lot of in TT, it's a lot of sunshine."

Energy Minister Stuart Young thanked Shell and BP for collaborating with Government on the project.

"It shows they invested in the well-being of TT's hydrocarbon economy as we go through the transition to where we need to go."

Shell TT senior vice president Eugene Okpere said the project could provide electricity to 42,000 homes in TT. Okpere and Low Carbon Energy bp executive vice-president Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath agreed that the project represented an important part of TT's transition towards renewable energy.

But they also reiterated that natural gas would continue to play a key role in satisfying energy needs in TT for many years to come.