The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has welcomed global natural gas and oil companies BP and Shell to negotiate power purchase agreement (PPA) with the government for 130 MW renewable energy capacity in the Caribbean country which will eventually be set up as solar and wind power.

Both the companies had submitted a proposal together under a tender launched by the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, along with Lightsource BP in which BP holds 50% stake.

The ministry had issued an expression of interest (EOI) round for this tender in 2017 followed by the request for proposals (RFP) round. Out of 11 proposals submitted, the ministry finally zeroed in on the joint proposal submitted by the trio, according to EnergyNow of the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago, the representative organization for the country’s oil, gas, petrochemical and heavy industrial sectors.

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Rowley informed at the post cabinet briefing that the PPA as negotiated by the tender winners need to be vetted by the cabinet post which the 130 MW will be grid connected on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis.

For Trinidad and Tobago, this 130 MW capacity will bring in a substantial amount of clean energy generation to the grid. EnergyNow says it will be equivalent to around 10% of the total electricity demand for the country whose aim is to have 10% of renewable energy capacity in the national energy mix by 2021.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, till 2018 Trinidad and Tobago’s total renewable energy capacity was a mere 3 MW, all of which came from solar power.

Compared to other Caribbean nations, the renewable energy progress for natural gas user Trinidad and Tobago has been less exciting so far. In December 2019, 10 Latin American and Caribbean nations pledged to go 70% renewable aiming for a a collective 312 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 (see 70% RE Target By 2030 For 10 LaTam & Caribbean Nations).