By Alicia Chamely

FORMER Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine is slamming the People’s National Movement for the mismanagement of the energy sector and being dishonest about the sector’s performance under the People’s Partnership government.

Speaking last night at a United National Congress (UNC) community meeting in the Arouca/Lopinot constituency, Ramnarine said the energy sector had shrunk by 31% measured in terms of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the last ten years.

He added, “That decline stands on the back of some frightening figures that should frighten everybody.”

Paid political ad

 

Ramnarine said according to a bulletin published this last week by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in the fourth quarter of 2024 there were 8100 people employed in the energy sector. He said that is a pale comparison to the 22,500 employees in the energy sector when the PP left government in the third quarter of 2015.

He said, “Something has gone radically wrong in the energy sector in the last 10 years. That decline is at the root of our foreign exchange crisis or shortage in this country.”

He went on to dismiss claims made by Prime Minister Stuart Young that under PP, between 2010-2015 the UNC only negotiated one energy contract.

Ramnarine said that contract was with a Japanese company, that today is a USD $1 billion methanol plant in La Brea, which has been operating for the last five years.

Responding to statements made by Young that he could only negotiate one contract during his term, Ramnarine said under his tenure the energy ministry awarded 21 production contracts.

Ramnarine said the country could not expect the issues in the energy sector to “right side itself” under the current administration.