Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath has criticised the planning of a major solar power project under the previous administration, saying it has become a financial burden on T&TEC, rather than a benefit to the national grid.

Speaking to reporters in Penal on Monday evening, he said while Government supports renewable energy, poor integration planning caused the solar project to cost more to connect to the grid than the power was worth.

“The former administration engaged in a project with Shell and BP, where they created this solar farm in Central Trinidad, in my constituency, incidentally, and it is costing T&TEC more to add the power from those solar farms onto the grid. And when they created those solar farms, they did not look to see where they could have passed it onto in terms of the use of the additional power for a financial return, in terms of selling the additional power for a financial return to the company.”