00:00The University of the West Indies is taking further steps toward economic diversification and a greener country as it partners with Japanese company Natera Co Ltd. and local company Kenes J. Green under the H2TT Transform Project.
00:15To this end, a memorandum of understanding has been inked. Dean of UWE's Faculty of Engineering, Professor Bisham Ramlal, says TNT's carbon footprint is high and energy transition should be supported.
00:27What is proposed here is a green hydrogen center of excellence and we expect this to provide us with a new track of research not only for us but globally and we will have a new facility here at the Faculty of Engineering UWE St. Augustine campus where we will be doing cutting-edge research in the implementation of green hydrogen.
00:55As for what it can mean for the country?
00:58This project is going to stimulate a new manufacturing sector and that in itself will bring value, especially in making sure that we can secure more foreign exchange, something that we have had some major challenges with over the last few years.
01:17Natera specializes in mass producing technical ceramic and automotive products and the company says the partnership will span 20 years at this initial stage.
01:28Kenes J.'s founder, Professor Kenneth Julian, states that the shortfall in natural gas locally creates a viable market for green hydrogen.
01:36He believes that a partnership is a game changer.
01:38The history of Trinidad and Tobago's energy sector has been predicated on the importation of technology from which ammonia is generated, from which methanol is generated, from which LNG is generated.
01:51This marks the first time where Trinidad and Tobago no longer needs to think about just importing technology but developing its own technology with strong international partners such as Natera.
02:03The Green Hydrogen Centre of Excellence is an extension of the hydrogen research collaboration, which is done through forums and discussions.
02:12This is being viewed as a more tangible step, in part centered around Natera's prototype of a new ceramic solid oxide electrolysis cell.
02:20These devices use electricity to extract the hydrogen from water.
02:25And the distinctive about this particular technology, this core technology, is that it's 30% more efficient than conventional electrolyzers.
02:35And it does that by running at a high temperature.
02:37Because the country has expertise in natural gas and methanol and ammonia exports, among other operations in the energy sector,
02:46stakeholders say it is well poised in various aspects, including skills and infrastructure, to maximize on this opportunity.
02:53After the research centre is set up, an electrolyzer plant will be installed at an industrial facility as a pilot.
03:00The plan is to have five plants assembled locally after that.
03:04With the technology, it is expected that carbon intensity in the ammonia will be reduced, making exports to certain countries more viable.
03:12What we're doing in this project is creating a big demand for green power, a big incentive that's going to make that green power investment worthy.
03:24And that will help us make the energy transition in Trindad and Tobago as a whole.
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