The long-awaited flagship NP (National Petroleum Marketing Company Ltd) service station near the Preysal flyover, which opened on Wednesday, has been dubbed another milestone by Energy and Energy Industries Minister Stuart Young.
Young said the Government views the opening as a significant achievement in developing the compressed natural gas (CNG) industry since the Government approved the introduction of CNG as part of the transportation fuel mix in 1992.
“From then to now, the government has attempted to place a substantial focus on the acceleration on the use of CNG,” Young said.
He added that in light of growing global trends and demands for more environmentally-friendly fuels, the reduction of carbon emissions continues to be at the forefront of the global and the Government’s agenda.
He delivered the feature address at the opening ceremony at the solar-powered station at the corner of Rivulet Road and Solomon Hochoy Highway in Couva.
The initiative was a collaborative venture between NP, National Gas Company (NGC) CNG, and the National Energy Corporation’s Sustainable Energy Division.
The station stands on over 65,000 square feet of land. Described as an ultra-modern new-to-industry site, it also has 20 filling spots, ten for liquid fuels (premium, super and diesel) and ten for CNG.
Young complimented all stakeholders in the project, saying most of the construction took place in the last 18 months, during the covid19 pandemic.
Telling the history of the site, he said the Dr Keith Rowley administration had made lemonade from lemons.
[caption id="attachment_914551" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The newly-opened NP Preysal service station Couva. - Photo by Lincoln Holder[/caption]
“When this government came in 2015, this site was one of the lemons left,” Young said.
“Within recent times, we have heard very unwarranted attacks on the NGC Group of companies with no basis. As the Prime Minister and I have said, the time is not yet right for us to be able to provide the full story as what has gone on recently with NGC Group.”
He said the Government continues to manoeuvre some very complicated and complex negotiations with some of the world's larger oil and gas producers.
Young charged that just before the general election in 2015, over $26 million was spent out of the NGC group on a government directive to "basically build a foundation and build certain booths that had absolutely no use. It was labelled a 'beautification project.'
"So I remind those who have the audacity now to challenge all of the good work that has been going on at NGC as they continue to deliver in their commitment to get value for the people of TT, I remind them that we, the population will not forget what they did with the NGC Group.”
Young said when the government took office in 2015, over $30 million in cash had been expended on the site with absolutely no purpose apart from the use of the word “beautification.”
He described the present service station as one of the best in the English-speaking Caribbean.
