EU funds solar-power project at Office of Prime Minister

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, thrid from left, with other officials at the launch of the solar power project, at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair on October 30. -

The Office of the Prime Minister has set up a solar-powered media briefing room to serve as a communications hub in case of an emergency or disaster.

The 10.5 kilowatt solar-panel installation was unveiled on October 30 at the official handover of the EU-funded GCCA+ Renewable Energy Project at the Prime Minister's St Clair Avenue, Port of Spain office.

Funded by the EU, and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Planning and Development, the €2.4 million initiative promotes solar energy and energy efficiency, installing systems at schools, NGOs, and public sites across TT.

Anslem Simon, project manager UNDP Energy Efficiency Refrigeration, said an outdated chiller at the OPM was also replaced with a more energy efficient version. He said the old chiller used refrigerants known to contribute towards global warming, and it was replaced with one known for its efficiency and guarantees carbon emission and energy savings.

Giving the feature address at the event, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the country’s prosperity was built on oil and gas, and established it as a respected energy leader, for which citizens were grateful.

But, she said, it was important to look to the future.

“As we look ahead, our strength will rest not on what lies beneath the ground, but on what we build together through innovation, cooperation and vision. With gratitude for our past and confidence in our future, we will continue to light the way toward a stronger, smarter and more sustainable TT.”

Minister of Public Utilities Barry Padarath said the government was committed to reducing TT’s carbon emissions, “but also becoming a bit more progressive in terms of a competitive world for energy conservation and utilising other areas of energy.”

During her address to the 80th UN General Assembly in New York on September 26, Persad-Bissessar said developed countries and climate activists should not “force-feed climate agenda onto developing countries and blackmail them into cooperation.” Especially as those developed countries gained their wealth and developed-nation status through industries that harmed the environment.

She said TT will support actions to protect the environment for future generations, within reason. And suggested independent nations be free to create climate policies which balanced their development goals and poverty eradication policies with environmental protection.