An interim report on Friday's nationwide blackout is expected to reach the hands of Trinidad & Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) general manager Kelvin Ramsook today.
The power outage which was blamed on a malfunction at the Phoenix Park Gas Processors Ltd plant at the Point Lisas Industrial Estate is expected to cost T&TEC $2 million in lost revenue from its residential and commercial customers.
Yesterday, Ramsook said he expected a report from T&TEC today, which would be dispatched to Public Utilities Minister Nizam Baksh thereafter.
In the report, Ramsook said several recommendations would be put forward by his company to avoid another blackout of this magnitude.
Told that the power outage was splashed across several international newspapers on Friday, which created a bad image for the company and country, Ramsook defended his position, stating that T&TEC required a number of basic inputs from National Gas Company (NGC) and "the power stations."
Ramsook: T&TEC has its limits
Ramsook said T&TEC has no control over these entities, but did its part in restoring electricity.
Close to 200 employees were called out in the wee hours to assist.
"The evidence that I am seeing, so far, does not suggest any issue of sabotage on T&TEC side, based on the information I have. T&TEC has to ensure that the other entities remain reliable so we can deliver service to our customers."
Ramsook said that Tobago's supply from the Cove power station, which relies on diesel, will soon be switched to gas.
Given that the outage occurred on a public holiday when most businesses were closed, Ramsook said, "If I were to put a dollar value on the company's losses, I would say around $2 million."
On Facebook, T&TEC was heavily criticised for not having a contingency plan, but Ramsook said the company was operating within its limits and mandates.
"Based on the report, I imagine that a number of things will come out of it. Like everything else, we will meet with the various parties and stakeholders to discuss it."
Ramsook said that he was very unhappy and worried about the blackout.
"Certainly it was not a good thing for service to be disrupted."
Baksh: We should not have a repeat of this
Baksh, in a telephone interview yesterday, said he expected T&TEC's report by Tuesday.
"Further than a report, we should have a meeting with Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine and NGC to identify these problems. We need to find out what caused the problem. Is it maintenance...and so on. We are going to address that so we would not have a repeat of this thing again."