The Stabroek News reports on plans for the production of bio-fuels (specifically, ethanol from sugar cane) in Guyana:
Guyana-based ANSA McAL Trading Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Guyana government for the establishment of an ethanol production project on September 30 last year…
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[T]he MoU was signed by Anthony N Sabga III, business development executive, ANSA McAL Group, Dr Roger Luncheon, head of the presidential secretariat and Desmond Mohamed, chief executive officer (former), Guyana Office for Investment.
The report added that it was witnessed by Robert M Persaud, former Minister of Agriculture, Aneal Maharaj, Group finance director, ANSA McAL and Beverley Harper, managing director ANSA McAL Trading Guyana. The report said that in a statement, ANSA McAL said that both parties were currently engaged in an in-depth feasibility study, which includes infrastructure and development works; plant and equipment and rolling stock.
According to the Guardian report, the ethanol plant is projected to have a capacity to process up to 2,000,000 tons of sugarcane per year and produce up to 40 million gallons (nameplate capacity) of ethanol per year. The agro-energy industrial project will be built on 110,000 hectares of virgin land, according to the ANSA statement.
“As a result, the government of Guyana and a subsidiary of the ANSA McAL Group, a regional conglomerate, have agreed to partner to establish a world-scale biofuel project. “The proposed ethanol project will be well positioned to successfully become a low-cost, globally competitive provider of ethanol to international and regional markets,” read the statement. According to the Guardian report, the statement said it is expected that through the synergies between the Guyana government and ANSA McAL the people of Guyana will benefit through:
• Generation of entrepreneurial service industries, resultant employment and wealth creation for nationals of Guyana
• Opportunity for Guyana to become the regional leader in the development of regional policies, standards and frameworks for utilisation of alternative fuels, with the potential of reducing the region’s dependence on fossil fuels.For a decade or so, biofuel has been on the agenda but the Guyana Government has made little progress on a deal until this announcement with ANSA.
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The minister had stressed that the Agro-Energy Policy clearly stated that land used for food production will not be converted to grow bio-energy feedstock. He noted that government has allocated over 100,000 hectares of land in the Canje Basin to be used specifically for the growing of bio-energy feedstock. Additionally, he said, there are large parcels of land in the intermediate savannahs which may also be utilized. “The use of molasses as a feedstock for the production of ethanol is also being touted to investors. GuySuCo’s excess molasses is adequate enough to produce ethanol for the implementation of an E10 blend in Guyana,” he said.
He noted that having recognised that there is need to seriously address the adverse effects of climate change, Guyana had drafted an ‘Agro-energy Portfolio – A Strategic Framework for Implementation’ document. The purpose of this strategy document was to provide a roadmap for the development of a competitive and sustainable agro-energy sector in Guyana.
Read more in the full Stabroek News article.
[Photo: KennardP]
