UWI St. Augustine and UTT have partnered to produce the Caribbean’s first catalog of carbon storage sites – in depleted oil and gas reservoirs throughout T&T – as a climate change mitigation plan.

This forms part of the country’s climate change response as it aims to reduce carbon emissions.

As such, it is supported by the Government, private-sector energy stakeholders, and international partners.

“The University of the West Indies (The UWI), St. Augustine Campus, and The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) have partnered to produce the Caribbean’s first catalog of carbon storage sites – in depleted oil and gas reservoirs throughout Trinidad and Tobago – as a climate change mitigation plan.

This joint initiative is spearheaded by the Faculty of Engineering and UWI’s Engineering Institute alongside the Energy Systems Engineering Unit of The University of Trinidad and Tobago. On May 01, 2024 both Universities signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and simultaneously launched The Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage Collaborate (CCUS-C). The CCUS-C is an integral part of Trinidad and Tobago’s climate change response as it aims to reduce this 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 UWI is committed to supporting the State’s international commitment to sustain global warming temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius. As a signatory to the Paris Climate Agreement, Trinidad and Tobago is well-poised to fulfil this mandate while becoming a regional leader in carbon capture and storage (CCS) – which inhibits carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere – through UWI’s and UTT’s collaboration.

Speaking at the event, The UWI’s Pro-Vice Chancellor and Principal Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine noted,

“The UWI has a distinguished record of leading scientists on climate change and a longstanding tradition of research and scholarship on climate studies and the environment, which we are proud to bring to this partnership. In fact, our decades of research and advocacy have led The International Association of Universities (IAU) to designate The UWI as the global leader in achieving a climate-smart world.”

Professor Antoine added that The UWI and UTT have successfully worked together in the past. She noted that this strategic MOU, is necessary

“To embark on a self-financing UWI/UTT Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Collaborative as a Research and Development Centre of Excellence. This would allow us to help our country take a significant step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting our global commitments.”

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