One of the major policies to be implemented in Tobago is the thrust to fully transition to cleaner energy sources and energy-saving practices.
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said the foundation for this policy agenda will be spearheaded by a special task force over the next few months.
The Chief Secretary was passionate when he spoke about transitioning Tobago to using cleaner energy sources by restricting the purchase of vehicles using traditional fuel, such as diesel.
“You know what is strange? One time we said we were clean, green, safe, and serene. But how could we boast about a clean, green island, and yet our modes of transportation are primarily using unclean sources of energy? And that shows you that sometimes we come up with these beautiful plans, because I was part of the CDP 2.0, come up with these beautiful plans, but in actual execution, we fail miserably.”
Mr. Augustine said not only will modes of transport be under scrutiny, but also electricity consumption in public offices. He gave the example of the Shaw Park Cultural Complex’s $10 million electricity bill.
‘I know why it’s 10 million because we have a building at Shaw Park that the air conditioning cannot be taken off because once it’s off, we end up with moulding issues. It’s a massive building, so it has to remain chill around the clock. The building does not have windows that can open up to allow for airflow.”
Part of the solution is the establishment of a task force led by the Director of Energy and Energy Transition in the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Energy, Melanie Trim.
“This task force will look at policies and recommendations for how we save on energy costs, how we can move divisions away from buying traditional vehicles, especially if it’s vehicles for other uses other than those that infrastructure or agriculture will typically use. I don’t know that we could get 10-tonne trucks that are electric. I don’t think we’re there yet with the technology.”
The task force, which will last for a period of three months, will give recommendations for the Assembly to follow.