Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (TTEC) is examining the feasibility of making effective use of broadband services over its power lines.

Thursday, January 18 2007

SPOTLIGHT ON TTEC: FIGHTING A DEFICIT
Thursday, January 18 2007

The Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (TTEC), faced with a projected deficit this year of $121 million, is examining innovative measures to earn additional revenue, rather than adopting a defeatist attitude.

In the process it is looking at leasing spare capacity, which is in demand by companies, in an effort to whittle down the deficit. The Act under which the Commission operates does not limit its earning of revenue to the provision of electricity to customers, its raison d’etre. Instead, the company for several years has been renting the use of its light poles to the cable television company and is planning to increase the provision of broadband services.

TTEC’s General Manager, Indarjit Singh, pointed out in a recent interview that TTEC’s fibre optic network was interconnected to all of the Commission’s substations, including via submarine cable running from Trinidad to Tobago.

Already, TTEC supplies one company with this service and is discussing with others the possibility of inking more deals like this. Meanwhile, the Commission is examining the feasibility of making effective use of broadband services over its power lines. Additionally, TTEC is determined that should it have spare capacity with respect to its fibre optic cable it would be another means of earning income and reducing its projected deficit.

What is crucial is not merely that the potential exists for the earning of additional revenue by the State company, but TTEC is seeking to demonstrate its ability to pay its way. It’s a good move: the company has been in the red for too long depending on Government to survive.

In theory, all State Enterprises are required to pay their way. Unfortunately, other state entities — WASA, Public Transport Service Corporation, for instance, continue to tug at the Treasury’s purse strings.

Of additional and clearly critical interest is that the Power Generation Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (PowerGen) which supplies electricity to TTEC’s national grid is listed, in early February, to commission the first of two 104 megawatts simple cycle gas turbine units at its Point Lisas power station. The second unit is carded to be commissioned a fortnight later.

TTEC, with an eye on the future is planning to begin negotiations early aimed at guaranteeing yet further additional capacity what with our plans for facilitating greater industrial development, including construction of the second major steel plant by Essar. All in all, TTEC needs to keep its eye in the light.