2003 March 14
The Topic: Will the National Interest be Better Served by the Establishment of LNG Train IV?
The Date – Thursday 20th, March 2003
The Venue – OWTU Paramount Building, San Fernando
The Time – 7:30 am to 10:15am
Dear Friend,
We are pleased to announce Public Policy Forum #1 of 2003, and to invite you/your organisation to participate in this Forum to be held on Thursday March 20th. As you know each year we organize a series of Public Policy Forums to address current policy issues that impact on the national interest.
The topic for this first Breakfast Forum for 2003 is extremely important. The Government is at present negotiating with respect to the establishment of LNG Train IV. This fourth train is projected to be considerably larger than the previous three. This therefore has major implications for our natural gas patrimony. Indeed, there have been various hints that the negotiations are complex and difficult. The Prime Minister has publicly expressed concerns about the national interest and Professor Ken Julien who heads the country’s team in the negotiations has also stated that a lot is at stake.
Some of the many issues that are involved could be summarized thus:
- Should we be committing so much of our gas to one activity (LNG)?
- What are the implications of Train IV for our gas reserves?
- Is the country going to reap the maximum rewards from the use of our gas, and what are the relative shares for T&T on the one hand and the multinationals on the other?
- What are the fiscal arrangements – gas royalties, taxes etc being negotiated?
- Are there issues other than taxation that we should be concerned about e.g. equity ownership, upstream and downstream involvement?
- What are the environmental and community impacts of a Train IV?
- Should the negotiations be taking place “in secret” and what are the governance implications of the present process?
Our team of expert panelists will seek to address some of these issues. We see this forum as an important continuation of the public debate on the natural gas sector which began at our own Forum in April 2002 and which continued at the Conference on the Best Uses of our Petroleum Resources (2) held at UWI in September 2002. Our overarching theme continues to be related to the job market given that economic activity must be about the improvement in the quality of life for all citizens.
Please note the timeframe for the Forum. We begin with breakfast and then work through to mid-morning, thus freeing participants to return to their other commitments. We therefore look forward to your/your organisation’s participation in this Forum. Breakfast will be available at the minimal cost of fifteen dollars ($15.00).
Yours faithfully,
Errol K. McLeod (signed)
7.30 – 8.15 REGISTRATION & BREAKFAST
8.15 – 8.20 WELCOME ADDRESS President-General, OWTU
Presentation by Panel followed by Discussion
Mr. Dennis Pantin, Senior Lecturer UWI Dept. of Economics
Mr. Gregory McGuire, National Gas Company
Mr. Dennis Phillip, Energy Consultant, Kenesjay Systems Ltd