Bitter development for modern sugar factory

Alliance For Change (AFC) Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan yesterday told the media that problems abound at the new Skeldon Sugar Factory, with information available to the party suggesting that major component failures at the facility have occurred in test runs.

He noted that information at hand also suggested that structural problems have been discovered which have caused the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s administration to hastily commence repairs of the old factory.

The party called for the revelation of the truth, saying that it was a Governmental responsibility.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), in a statement last evening, sought to clarify its position by saying that the new factory at Skeldon is a turnkey project, which meant that the responsibility for the design, construction, commissioning and handing over of the factory is with the Chinese.

“They started commissioning the factory on August 25, 2008, and encountered some
problems…It is the responsibility of the contractor to rectify any problems, and Guysuco will not take over the plant until it has been fully tested and proven, as stated under the terms of the contract.”

The statement added that the old factory at Skeldon was deliberately left intact at the end of the first crop as a contingency measure in the event of any unforeseen problems with the commissioning of the new factory.

“Plans that were already in place are being activated to start up the old factory to ensure that the current crop can be taken off.”

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