Did solar impact gas usage?

7th August 2026

Last week I wrote an article on the Brechin Castle solar project in Trinidad & Tobago and the very disappointing news that it has not been sending electrons to the grid since January 2026. According to industry sources this was because T&TEC were having to send more gas to the power generation plants to maintain an adequate spinning reserve to ensure grid stability, given the intermittent nature of solar power. I found that surprising, but that was the information I was given from a very reliable source. 

I was, therefore, interested in having a look at the recently released data from the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries on gas usage in the electricity sector for the end of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026.  

There is a clear pattern in gas use for electricity generation in Trinidad & Tobago; during the hotter months in the middle of the year electricity use increases primarily for air conditioning and then deceases in the cooler period toward the back end and early months of the year. There is a positive strong correlation between average temperature and gas usage in electricity generation in Trinidad & Tobago (something I will write more about in the future). 

In June and July 2025, Trinidad & Tobago was using record high volumes of natural gas for power generation, averaging over 300 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d); in June 2025 this was 19% more than the average for the previous decade. For the period that the Brechin Castle solar project was sending electrons to the grid, from the middle of 2025 through to January 2026, gas usage in electricity generation was lower than the average monthly use for the prior decade; around 8 - 9% lower in November and December 2025 and 9% lower in January 2026.  February 2026 was slightly lower than average, and March 2026 was 9% higher than average (the last month for which data is available). 

There are many reasons why gas usage in electricity generation could be above or below average in a particular month. As noted previously, there is a strong positive correlation between average temperature and gas usage in electricity, but in this case January 2026 temperatures were reported to be slightly higher than average so that probably would not explain lower gas usage.  Electricity usage could also be lower because of reduced demand (for example the shutdown of major customers in Point Lisas) or higher if maintenance was being carried out on more efficient turbines and there could be a whole host of other reasons. 

To be clear, I am not saying that the lower-than-average gas usage in electricity generation in the last quarter of 2025 and January 2026 was because of the Brechin Castle solar project. I simply do not have the necessary information (nor the technical knowledge) to make that claim.  

I do, however, believe that it is incumbent on T&TEC to provide a full technical explanation of what has taken place, given the importance of the Brechin Castle solar project and its high profile nationally and regionally.