PM: Energy experts for WASA, Africa

Addressing the inaugural British Gas energy luncheon series at the Hilton Trinidad yesterday, the Prime Minister said the domestic energy sector has created a cadre of top managers who are now being pressed into service in other spheres of national development. He identified British Gas Chief of Staff Derek Hudson and BHP billiton president Vincent Pereirra (chairman and vice-chairman of the Port Authority and BHP billiton manager Carla Noel head of an advisory committee assisting the Cabinet’s social sector committee, as prime examples of this expertise.

Manning then said the greatest area where such managerial expertise was urgently needed was WASA. “It is a huge problem. It is a $27 billion problem and one that will not just go away.

We have to bring all expertise in the country to bear (to improve WASA’s operations),” he said. However when approached by journalists afterwards, the Prime Minister declined to elaborate on his statements or answer any other questions. Disclosing that local energy experts had significantly improved the energy tax regime in Belize following a recent oil discovery there, Manning said Government was now contemplating providing similar expertise to Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Equitoreal Guinea, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola as TT’s contribution to UN poverty eradication efforts in Africa.

“We will do it out of noble obligation and at no cost (to those nations),” Manning said. The Prime Minister said these nations would however foot the air fare and hotel accomodations for any local experts and TT could gain some other benefits from those nations as well.

Touching on Venezuela’s Petro Caribe initiative, Manning said TT was reaching its limit to assisting the energy needs of the Caribbean and would review its $360 million contribution to the regional petroleum fund in the 2006/2007 Budget.

He said TT was not surprised by the advent of Petro Caribe and this was why the US$650 million upgrade of Petrotrin’s Pointe-a- Pierre refinery would be used to develop petroleum products which could be sold on the US East Coast if TT loses the Caribbean as its primary market for energy products.

Manning noted that TT willingly removed the Common External Tariff on the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery and if it had not stood on its own two feet by now, it would have had to go. The Prime Minister dismissed claims that TT’s energy reserves would be depleted in 16 years, stating that all evidence available proves otherwise and Government had the available reserves to sustain the energy projects it was now engaging in.