PNM
and COP far apart on natural gas
Port Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
28 07 07
The
People's National Movement and Congress of the
People locked horns over use of the nation's
natural gas during a forum organised by the
South Trinidad
Chamber of Industry and Commerce last Thursday.
Energy Minister Lenny Saith, the PNM's representative
at the forum, spoke highly of the country's natural
gas exports. However, COP representative, Carolyn
Seepersad Bachan, a former National Gas Company
chairman, said the export of natural gas was an
inefficient way of using that commodity.
The United National Congress Alliance,
which was also invited, did not have a representative
at
the "Future of Energy" forum, which was
held at Paria Suites Hotel, La Romaine.
Seepersad-Bachan said there should not be any
signing of the agreement for the Atlantic LNG Train
4 plant until an ethylene complex was built.
Saith disagreed and praised Atlantic LNG for the
part it played in the export of natural gas.
"LNG gave us an opportunity to export our
natural gas," he said.
Seepersad-Bachan said, "The
Congress of the People continues to be opposed
to the construction
of plants to produce steel and aluminium in Trinidad
and when we form the government the matter will
be reopened."
She said there was an urgent need
for a new strategy to be developed for the country's
energy resources
and also a revision of the price negotiated by
Government for gas. With dwindling gas and oil
reserves she said, "We have to be careful
not to go to the extreme in our development programmes.
An overdrive of our energy resources could shorten
the life of the industry."
Saith said he did not subscribe to the view that
gas will run out in 12 years.
"If this were true, this discussion
will fall apart. What we need to do is to encourage
further investment to find new resources."
The chamber's chief executive officer Dr Thackwray
Driver said the object of the forum was to benefit
the overall national economy and society by providing
information and policy recommendations to the chamber's
members, Government and the wider community.
Story
by Louis B Homer, from the South Bureau of the
Trinidad Express
Trinidad
Express
Monday, October 29th 2007
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