Corporate Social Responsibility
Atlantic LNG is one of the largest LNG producers in the world. But our business performance is only one measure of our corporate performance. We recognize that as a significant corporate entity in Point Fortin and in Trinidad and Tobago, we are expected to demonstrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) at a level that surpasses all stakeholder expectations. We decided almost from our very beginning that one of the things that will define us as a company is a commitment to the development of people. By this we mean not only the development of our employees – who we consider our number one constituent – but also the development of our neighbours: the people of Point Fortin and their community.
We believe that it is good business and good CSR to operate in a manner that is good for the business but also good for the environment, the economy and the society that we operate in.
In the ten years since Trinidad and Tobago began producing liquefied natural gas, a remarkable story continues to be told in the town of Point Fortin, home of Atlantic LNG. The story is how a billion dollar global-class process plant facility, constructed in record time and with record alignment to budget, continues to maximize its contribution to its home town and home country.
The contribution of Atlantic LNG is more than mere dollars and cents and more than being the largest employer in Point Fortin. More importantly, our contribution is in the hearts and minds of our people, and their engagement with ideas about how future generations of citizens of Trinidad and Tobago can benefit from our company’s stewardship of the finite resource of natural gas. The story of Atlantic LNG is the story of our people, and the story of how sustainability – a very important strategic aim of our company – continues to be built into our operations and into our people’s thinking, and by extension into Point Fortin and Trinidad and Tobago.
There have been bumps in the road to achieving these aims. An operation of this scale has inevitable impacts on our community and the environment. Heavy industry, if improperly managed can be dangerous to both employees and neighbours. But throughout our history and activities, Atlantic LNG has strived towards the highest standard of safety, protection and interaction.
Three strategic aims underpin our Being the Best vision – Operational Excellence, Capability Growth and Sustainability. The progress in these areas after only one year of our new direction speaks volumes about the commitment of talented employees and their endorsement of what we want to accomplish.
Operational Excellence
2008 was the best year of production for Atlantic LNG. Production volumes exceeded targets and the fourth quarter’s performance set an industry record for a four train facility. The facility also clocked 3.5 million hours without a lost time incident (LTI), a safety performance that demonstrated our entrenched commitment to best practice in the area of HSSE. We will continue to emphasize the safety of all our operations.
Capability Growth
We believe development of our people is critical to maintain industry leadership in an increasingly competitive and challenging environment. Our company’s ability to adapt to this dynamic context lies in our people and in how well we are able to foster their innovativeness and creativity and enhance their industry acumen. In 2008, a number
of leadership development initiatives were implemented, including succession plans in preparation for the next wave of emergent management.
Work was also undertaken in the development of the Competency Management Assurance System (CMAS) and Competency Development Tool (CDT), which since then have been implemented in phases throughout the company. The web-based CDT gives employees who are not technicians, control over the speed and direction of their career development and provides a structured avenue for employee learning and development. CMAS is intended for Operations and Maintenance technicians and is a formal assessment approach requiring trained CMAS Assessors who assess employees’ performance against the newly developed Atlantic LNG discipline standards. The system is designed for consistency and fairness, and is buttressed by internal audits.
Sustainability
Since 2007, our growing engagement with Sustainability has caused us to view this strategic aim as the bedrock of
every aspect of our operations and the true cornerstone to our Being the Best strategy. Quite simply, we cannot assume industry leadership without regard for generations to come who are depending on us to maximize and sustain the value that the finite resource of natural gas can provide to the present and the future.
This requires an increased external focus, building partnerships with stakeholders in our home community of Point Fortin and also at the national level in order to help create programmes that foster sustainable development.
A key initiative introduced in 2008 was the CEO’s Sustainability Awards. This annual internal competition invites employees to submit solutions and projects aimed at making our company, our home community and Trinidad and Tobago more sustainable. The inaugural effort was promoted in the company throughout 2008 and was well supported.
After an evaluation by independent judges and on-line voting by employees, fifteen finalist teams were selected in
five categories– Community, Education, Technology, Safety and Environment. The overall winning project was the Trinidad and Tobago National Vocational Qualification (TTNVQ) vertification. This project was implemented to recognize Atlantic LNG as a training centre by the National Training Authority (NTA), so that participants in our Operator Trainee Programme can receive a national qualification that makes them employable at any company requiring that skill type in Trinidad and Tobago.
Going forward
Our progress in 2008 has given us good momentum in our new strategic direction. We look forward to maintaining this momentum and direction in the years to come.
Oscar Prieto
CEO
CEO’s Review
