Question 1

Episode 3 - 31/08/26 :- AI Data Centres -Project or Pipe Dream?

Accepted Answer

Read summary here after event

Question 2

Episode 2 - 24/08/26 :- Ai Data Centres - The promise, the price and the proof

Accepted Answer

Episode 2 of Beyond the Bacchanal examined Trinidad and Tobago’s proposed AI data-centre developments from a deliberately pro-development but pro-evidence perspective. It corrected an important public misconception: the available evidence supports two proposed commercial AI data-centre projects, not four -an EY framework for 300 MW and a Hummingbird AI proposal beginning at 150 MW with potential expansion to 500 MW. The separate Tier IV National Data Centre at Phoenix Park is a government facility initiated in 2022 and should not be counted as one of the new commercial AI projects. The episode also stressed that MOUs, proposed capacity and headline investment figures are not the same as approved projects, committed financing or facilities actually under construction.The programme acknowledged that the proposals could offer Trinidad and Tobago a genuine opportunity for economic diversification, foreign-exchange earnings, construction activity, skilled employment, training, local supplier development and regional technology leadership. The country possesses industrial experience, natural gas, engineering capability, English-language institutions and a strategic location that could support a digital-infrastructure industry. However, these benefits are conditional. Major questions remain about the enormous electricity requirements, natural-gas use, water and cooling needs, transmission infrastructure, environmental impacts, land use and connectivity. Equally important are questions about ownership, financing, customers, incentives, permanent versus temporary jobs, local procurement and whether Trinidad and Tobago will build its own digital capabilities or merely become a low-cost location for hosting foreign-owned computing infrastructure.The episode ultimately applied  the Social Legitimacy Framework through four anchors: Transparency, Consistency, Fairness and Purpose. The public should know the material terms of the agreements, project ownership and financing, utility requirements, environmental implications, incentives, risks and measurable benefits; communities should also have an opportunity to participate before decisions become irreversible. The conclusion is therefore neither to celebrate nor reject the projects prematurely. Trinidad and Tobago should subject them to rigorous due diligence, publish the material evidence and ensure meaningful public participation before final commitments are made. As the episode emphasizes, an MOU is not financial close, Tier IV does not itself prove AI capability, and hosting foreign computers is not automatically the same as building a national AI economy. The ultimate test is whether the decision can legitimately be regarded as serving the public interest.

Question 3

Episode 1 – 17/08/26:- 750M USD Steel Project – A Social Legitimacy Perspective for Trinidad and Tobago

Accepted Answer

Episode 1 of Beyond the Bacchanal examined the proposed steel project in Trinidad and Tobago through the lens of Social Legitimacy. The central position was deliberately neither pro- nor anti-project: Trinidad and Tobago needs investment, industrial development and economic opportunity, but development must earn public trust, deliver measurable national value and demonstrate that the public interest is being protected. Legal approval or signed contracts alone do not make a project socially legitimate; credibility also depends on transparency, meaningful engagement, accountability and evidence that the proposal is fair and responsible.The episode therefore asked five fundamental questions: What exactly is being proposed? Who carries the risks? Who receives the benefits and how will those benefits be measured? Have affected stakeholders been meaningfully engaged? And what will accountability look like? Particular attention was given to State financing, guarantees and incentives; taxpayers’ exposure if the project underperforms; sustainable jobs, local procurement, training and technology transfer; and whether communities, workers, businesses and civil society have been consulted early enough to influence decisions. The environmental dimension is equally important because steel production can affect energy and water consumption, emissions, waste and surrounding ecosystems. The episode argued that environmental responsibility and economic development are not opposing choices: a legitimate project must demonstrate that it can deliver economic value while protecting people, resources and future generations.The discussion ultimately assessed the proposed project through four Social Legitimacy anchors: Transparency, Engagement, Equitable Value and Accountability. Citizens need sufficient information to scrutinise the proposal; stakeholders must participate while decisions can still be influenced; national and community benefits must be measurable and fairly distributed; and commitments must be publicly tracked with consequences when they are not fulfilled. The episode concluded that the appropriate question is therefore not simply whether Trinidad and Tobago should support or oppose the steel project, but what conditions would make it responsible, legitimate and sustainable development. Investment is welcome—but it should come with credible safeguards, measurable local value, meaningful participation and continuing accountability

Beyond The Bacchanal
with Therese

Read Summaries of past episodes HERE

@theresebc

Episode Archive

Episode 3 - 31/08/26 :- AI Data Centres -Project or Pipe Dream?

Episode 2 - 24/08/26 :- Ai Data Centres - The promise, the price and the proof

Episode 1 – 17/08/26:- 750M USD Steel Project – A Social Legitimacy Perspective for Trinidad and Tobago

Beyond The Bacchanal with Therese

Read Summaries of past episodes HERE

@theresebc

Episode Archive

Episode 3 - 31/08/26 :- AI Data Centres -Project or Pipe Dream?

Episode 2 - 24/08/26 :- Ai Data Centres - The promise, the price and the proof

Episode 1 – 17/08/26:- 750M USD Steel Project – A Social Legitimacy Perspective for Trinidad and Tobago

Beyond The Bacchanal
with Therese