Can you provide information about Yara’s growth in relation to both Trinidad and Tobago and the Point Lisas Industrial Estate?

W.R. Grace established Yara’s current site in Trinidad and Tobago back in 1959. The company used associated gas from Shell and other companies present in the county to produce a variety of downstream products. Over the years, several new plants were commissioned and constructed to absorb gas that was otherwise being flared, leading to the development of the site that we know today. Yara now has a joint venture with Trinidad Nitrogen (Tringen), with Yara assuming operational and management responsibilities and producing 1.3 million tonnes per year, out of the company’s global total of 18 million tonnes. Joint ventures are a trademark of Yara’s presence around the world, which allows them to enter markets with a local advantage.

What have Yara’s operations in Trinidad and Tobago contributed to the company’s global network, considering Trinidad and Tobago is the oldest commercial producer of oil?

Yara Trinidad’s contribution to the company’s global network would be their current energy efficiency improvement project. This project is taking place on the Tringen I plant, which was commissioned back in 1977. The aim is to improve the efficiency of this plant by approximately 12% with an investment of $50 million. Engineers in Trinidad and Tobago saw an opportunity to increase the efficiency and environmental friendliness of the plant and decided that it was worth the investment. Additionally, Yara Trinidad can feed into the company’s internal need for ammonia as a global producer of fertilizer. While a significant portion of the local production is exported to the US, Latin America, and Europe, Yara Trinidad still plays a significant role in the company’s global network.

Can you provide insight into the safety standards that Yara implements in their operations in Trinidad and Tobago, given the high standards observed here?

Yara International has earned a number of technical, operational, and safety standards that are applied to all their sites worldwide. Yara Trinidad is required to comply with these standards. Several in-house procedures, systems, and internal instructions are all based on Yara’s global standards.

Can you elaborate on Yara’s “Creating Impact” program and their interaction with the community in Trinidad and Tobago, considering the company’s expertise in the fertilizer industry?

Yara is committed to helping farmers in need in Trinidad and Tobago. The company has cooperated with the Ministry of Food Production and has sponsored students from Trinidad and Tobago to work on projects at their research facility in Germany. Yara is keen on transferring their knowledge of the industry to local farmers to boost the local agricultural sector. Trinidad and Tobago have a lot of potential that can benefit from Yara’s special skills and knowledge in this area. Although Yara’s presence in Trinidad and Tobago is in the petrochemicals sector, their “Creating Impact” program extends their presence to the development of agriculture in the country.

As Yara has been a part of the Point Lisas Industrial Estate concept since its inception, can you comment on its continued success and relevance moving forward?

The Point Lisas Industrial Estate concept has several advantages beyond just concentrating several companies in one geographical area. Local contractors have been able to develop and gain experience from a variety of companies involved in one wider industry, all of which were encouraged to develop their operations on the Estate. As a result, there are a large number of locally experienced contractors supporting Yara. The infrastructure in the area has been developed in tandem with the industry’s growth. The large deepwater port at Point Lisas benefits all of its tenants. Creating an industry-focused estate has resulted in several job opportunities that may not have arisen in a more diluted setting.