Seven years after the shutdown of the Petrotrin Refinery, there is a renewed push to restart operations by a collaboration between the Confederation of Regional Business Chambers (CRBC) and several trade unions, including the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU).
At a press briefing on Wednesday at the OWTU’s head office in San Fernando, the union’s President General Ancel Roget revealed that the aim “is to kick start the economy.”
He said the consortium’s first priority is the refurbishment and restarting of the Pointe-A-Pierre Refinery.
The refinery was closed by the previous Keith Rowley-led PNM Administration, on November 30, 2018.
At the time, the government had cited debt, inefficiency, and declining productivity as the primary reasons for the closure.
Ancel Roget described that decision an injustice to the people, which he says they intend to correct.
“The aim is to revitalise the energy sector,” he said. “We will collaborate to see what is necessary for that to happen in terms of restarting operations at the Refinery. We believe businesses and the people of T&T can benefit from this level of collaboration.”
The Confederation of Regional Business Chambers (CRBC) is made up of 14 local business associations.
CRBC coordinator, Jai Leladharsingh, sees this as a new beginning for this country’s energy sector
“In terms of the finance,” he said, “it is going to be raised in the international finance markets where there is a plan in place for this to happen.”
“We will support the unions and give them the best technical advice ever regarding the raising of that money,” he assured.
The previous PNM Government had announced Oando Plc as the preferred bidder for the refinery.
However, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has since made it clear that her government will not go ahead with that company, and that they will not honour any deal signed by the PNM.
