Govt
plans to celebrate 100 years of oil
The Trinidad Guardian
Petroleumworldtt.com
03 30 08
With
the first quarter of the year almost at an end,
the Ministry of Energy is now putting together
a group to begin planning to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of commercial oil production in T&T.
Energy
Minister Conrad Enill announced this recently
while speaking to journalists during a tour of
Lake Asphalt T&T Ltd (LATT) at La Brea.
He
said that in spite of this significant milestone
in the nation’s history, many people still
do not understand the value of the natural resource
which has made TT a precious gem in the Caribbean.
Enil said the ministry is about to change that.
He said the ministry had established a co-ordinating
group, comprising major players in the industry,
to arrange a number of events.
He said the objective is twofold.
“One to basically commemorate 100 years
of commercial oil production in T&T.”
He
added that the group “will start to ensure
that the population has a better understanding
of what energy means to T&T.”
Enil
said, “We have found that many in our
population do not understand the value that energy
has brought to us, or even in terms of where we
are to day.”
The
minister said this is one of the things, that
must be done “in order to continue to ensure
that the standard of living that we now enjoy,
that we can in fact continue to do so.”
Enill also said it is one of the reasons government
is looking towards an integrated oil and gas company
with the scale to compete globally.
He
noted that after 100 years of oil, it has become
clear “that we are simply tax takers from
companies that are involved in the production of
a commodity.
“We
receive our revenue from taxes from companies
that produce oil.
“One
of the things we are seeing globally is that
more and more countries are basically getting
involved in the business themselves.”
Addressing
the advantages and disadvantages of such a situation,
Enill said Government is getting
a consultant to look at models around the world,
such as PDVSA, Venezuela and Petrobras, Brazil, “basically
to ensure that the country can get the best value
from its resources.”
Story by Yvonne
Webb from The Trinidad Guardian
The
Trinidad Guardian
Thursday
27th March, 2008
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