UWI and U of T launch climate change strategy: Carbon capture, utilization and storage collaboration

UWI and U of T launch climate change strategy: Carbon capture, utilization and storage collaboration

St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. June 12, 2024 – The University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine Campus and the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) have collaborated to produce the Caribbean’s first inventory of carbon storage sites in depleted oil and gas reservoirs across Trinidad and Tobago as a climate change mitigation initiative.

The joint initiative is led by the Faculty of Engineering and the Institute of Engineering at the University of the West Indies and the Department of Energy Systems Engineering at the University of Trinidad and Tobago. On May 1, 2024, the two universities signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and simultaneously launched the Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Collaboration (CCUS-C). CCUS-C is an important part of Trinidad and Tobago’s response to climate change and aims to reduce the country’s carbon emissions. It is supported by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, private sector energy stakeholders and international partners.

The University of the West Indies is committed to supporting the state’s international commitment to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. As a signatory to the Paris Climate Agreement, Trinidad and Tobago is well positioned to meet this mission while also becoming a regional leader in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), a technology that prevents the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, through the partnership between the University of the West Indies and the University of Trinidad and Tobago.

Speaking at the event, Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Vice-President and Chief Professor of the University of the West Indies, said:

“University of the West Indies We are proud to bring to this partnership an outstanding team of scientists in the field of climate change and a long tradition of research and scholarship in climate research and environmental studies. Following decades of research and advocacy, the International Association of Universities (IAU) has designated the University of the West Indies as a global leader in achieving a climate-smart world.”

Professor Antoine added that the University of the West Indies and UTT had successfully collaborated in the past. She noted that this strategic MoU was necessary

“arrive Launching a self-funded UWI/UTT collaborative Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) project as a research and development centre of excellence. This will allow us to help our country take a major step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting our global commitments.”

The MoU enables both universities to offer academic interventions such as consultancy, practical training and short courses leading to a new Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Carbon and Gas Management.

The event was attended by Mr. Tim Dixon, General Manager of IEAGHG, who praised Trinidad and Tobago for becoming the first country to receive GCF funding for a CCUS project.

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illustrate:

Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Vice-Chancellor and Head of Campus, delivered the opening remarks at the signing of the UWI/UTC Memorandum of Understanding on Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage Collaboration (CCUS-C).

In the presence of UWI and UTT staff and private sector energy representatives including Heritage Petroleum, bpTT, SHELL, Perenco, Woodside Energy, Proman, NGC and others, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Planning and Development, Mr Keshore Lutchman, announced the Government’s support for the UWI/UTT Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS-C) initiative under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

(Left) Mr. Tim Dixon, Director and General Manager of the Greenhouse Gas Research and Development Programme at the International Energy Agency, talks with Professor Raffie Hosein, Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of the West Indies, and Professor Bheshem Ramlal, Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of the West Indies/UTS, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the Collaboration on Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS-C).

UTS Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Joseph shakes hands with Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of the West Indies and UTS on Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage Collaboration (CCUS-C).

(Centre) UTT President Professor Clement Imbert stands with Vice-Chancellor and Campus Director Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, as well as UWI and UTT staff, government officials, Ms Penelope Bradshaw-Niles, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industry, Mr Keshore Lutchman, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Planning and Development, and others, in support of the signing of the UWI/UTT Memorandum of Understanding on Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage Collaboration (CCUS-C).

About the University of the West Indies

The University of the West Indies has been a key force in all aspects of development in the Caribbean and has been at the heart of all efforts to improve the well-being of the people of the region for 75 years.

UWI began as University College London in Jamaica in 1948 with 33 medical students. Today, UWI is a global university of international renown with nearly 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona from Jamaica, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Mountain in Barbados, The five islands of Antigua and Barbuda and Global Campusand A global center established in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The University of the West Indies offers more than 1000 Certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options exist Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it has access to the largest pool of BroadCast Unitedlectual and professional knowledge in the Caribbean, working to address critical issues in our region and the wider world.

The University of the West Indies is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the world by the most reputable ranking agencies. Times Higher Education). Since UWI first appeared in the Times Higher Education rankings in 2018, it has performed well in a number of categories, including the World University Rankings, the Golden Age University Rankings (50 to 80 years old), the Latin America Rankings and the Impact Rankings, which are notable for their response to the world’s greatest concerns, as outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including good health and well-being, gender equality and climate action.

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