If you are waiting in line to dance with the most beautiful girl at a ball or a dance, would you want to be the second person to dance with her – or do you want to be first?

If you are training for a big race or a competition, are you practising to come in second place, or do you want to be first?

If you own a business in a lucrative but competitive field, would you rather be ranked second in the world, or do you want to be first?

There's nothing wrong with second place, but let’s face it – being first is better.

TT has a history of being first, especially when it comes to energy and energy industries in the Caribbean. The first commercial oil well was drilled in TT, in what is now called Point Fortin, in 1907. In the mid-1950s the Energy Chamber, then called the South Trinidad Chamber of Industry and Commerce, was formed and also was the first of its kind – with a focus on energy and energy industries.

Now with the demand for fossil fuels reaching its peak and steadily declining

and the world looking toward hydrogen as the fuel of the future, TT has an opportunity once again to be first in line in energy in the region, with the help of Hydrogen De France (HDF), which recently launched its local branch, HDF TT, to begin projects in TT.

But the window of opportunity to be first in line yet again is closing fast, and with it the window of opportunity for financing clean-energy projects which could help with TT’s transition away from fossil fuels.

In a conversation with vice president of HDF Thiabault Ménage and director of HDF TT Dale Ramlakhan, Business Day was told the opportunities given through the establishment of HDF TT should be taken seriously – or that window will close and TT will be left behind.

Be first or fall behind

HDF TT was launched last Thursday, the way for the newborn company to begin its first of many local hydrogen projects. It acquired 70 per cent of Kenesjay Green Ltd's NewGen project. When completed, the project, estimated at more than US$200 million, will result in the construction of a clean hydrogen producing electrolysis facility – the largest of its kind in the world.

At a cocktail reception at the French Embassy on Mary Street in Port of Spain that day, Ménage said TT is poised to take the lead in the hydrogen industry in the region.

“The Point Lisas estate is looking for more hydrogen,” Ménage said. “It is short of 400,000 tonnes of hydrogen, which is not being provided at the moment.

"There is a very urgent need for using TT assets at their maximum capacity. Because it is already a hydrogen hub TT has everything to become a world leader in this area.”

Ramlakhan told Business Day in a conversation last Friday that its close cluster of plants makes TT perfect for developing facilities centred around energy transition. He added that TT also has an advantage because there is a market for its petrochemical products, which are used as feedstock for producing fertiliser