2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Vishanna Phagoo)
OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar says that she is not surprised to see small local energy companies once again unrepresented on the board of the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago. In a WhatsApp response to the Express, Persad-Bissessar said, “I am not surprised that again, smaller local energy companies are not getting representation on the board.” Her comments were made in response to the recent appointments to the board following the annual general meeting on Friday.
Daniel Devaux, the general manager of contracting and procurement at Shell T&T Ltd, and Jean-Andre Celestain, the chief executive officer of Atlantic, were the new appointments to the board on Friday. Chief executive officer of Massy Wood Mala Baliraj, senior associate of operations at Carbon Asset Developer Associates Ltd Tamara Bujhawan, the managing director of EOG Resources Ltd George Vieira and Pria Narinesingh, as an individual member, were also re-elected to the board on Friday. “The Executive Committee remains in place through to the next Board meeting to be held in December 2024,” the Energy Chamber stated in a release.
“The current Energy Chamber is structured to only serve the priorities of the foreign multinationals and select local special interests’ groups. I made my comments in the budget debate after receiving many requests and complaints from our local energy sector micro, small and medium enterprises. I stand by everything I said in the budget debate regarding the Energy Chamber and my plans for the creation of new representative organisations and changes to safety standards,” Persad-Bissessar said.
During her contribution to the budget debate on October 4, Persad-Bissessar stated that the Energy Chamber is “dominated by large multinationals and local special interest groups and the locally-owned MSMEs in the energy sector are really without an adequate voice”. She added that many local businesspeople have stated they are afraid to voice their true opinions for fear of retaliation from multinational companies and local special interests. As such, Persad-Bissessar said that if elected to office in the upcoming general election, her administration would create and fully finance the formation and operation of a new body to represent local energy service companies and contractors.
This body, she said, would also advocate for businesses providing goods and services throughout the energy value chain. “All locally owned MSMEs in the energy sector will be able to join and use this body to make representations directly to the Minister of Energy and Prime Minister without going through the existing Energy Chamber. We will remove all State-owned energy companies from the Energy Chamber and create a new, separate body to represent their interests.
I do not believe that the current energy chamber represents and advocates for the best interests of our State-owned companies. State-owned energy companies must make decisions and policies in the best interests of our citizens and not for a private body mainly controlled by multinationals.” In his contribution to the budget debate, Energy Minister Stuart Young described Persad-Bissessar’s comments as a “frontal attack” on the Energy Chamber.
“I heard a frightening submission. We witnessed here today a frontal attack on the Energy Chamber of T&T. I listened very carefully as the Leader of Opposition, aspiring to an office—God forbid she should ever get close to it—say that they will set up a parallel body and they will basically decimate the Energy Chamber, the way they decimated the energy sector between 2010 and 2015.
The population needs to take note of that,” Young said. “So she, the Member for Siparia, has declared war not only on the Energy Chamber today, but has declared war on bp, has declared war on Shell, has declared war on EOG, Perenco, Woodside, et al. Has declared war on NGC, has declared war on Touchstone, Heritage,” Young said.
In her response to the Express yesterday, Persad-Bissessar added that the local energy sector MSMEs need direct access to the Minister of Energy and Prime Minister so they can truthfully and effectively address their concerns. “I intend to give them that access because the current chamber and system does not facilitate that. It’s insulting and disrespectful to make MSMEs pay $5,000 for a seat at Hyatt Regency (Trinidad), Port of Spain, to then be lectured by the Energy Chamber special interest representatives who say nothing to advocate the MSMEs,” said Persad-Bissessar.
CHAIRMAN: Jerome Dookie—managing director Methanol Holdings (Trinidad) Limited, Caribbean Nitrogen Company Limited & Nitrogen (2000) Unlimited DEPUTY CHAIRMAN: (Mid/downstream) Colin Bain—managing director & president, Methanex Trinidad Ltd DEPUTY CHAIRMAN : (Energy Services) Shaun Rampersad—chief operating officer, Ramps Logistics Ltd SECRETARY : Mala Baliraj—chief executive officer, Massy Wood TREASURER : Hafiz Ali—chief executive officer, Weldfab Ltd PRESIDENT & CEO: Dr Thackwray Driver—president/chief executive officer, The Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago BOARD MEMBER : Paul Baay—president and CEO, Touchstone Exploration (Trinidad) Ltd BOARD MEMBER : Erik Keskula—chief executive officer, Heritage Petroleum Company Ltd BOARD MEMBER : Verlier Quan Vie—vice president, Commercial, the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago BOARD MEMBER : Jean Andre Celestain—chief executive officer, Atlantic BOARD MEMBER : Ricardo Mahadeo—chief executive officer, TOSL Engineering Ltd BOARD MEMBER : Pria Narinesingh—individual member BOARD MEMBER : David Campbell—regional president, bp Trinidad and Tobago BOARD MEMBER : Daniel Devaux—general manager, Contracting & Procurement, Shell Trinidad and Tobago BOARD MEMBER : Tamara Bujhawan—senior associate, Operations, Carbon Asset Developer Associates Ltd.
