The Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. (GuySuCo) says that the Uitvlugt Estate factory resumed operation on Sunday after experiencing technical difficulties over a week ago.
In a statement yesterday, GuySuCo said that the factory at the Uitvlugt Estate was due to begin grinding on 11 August when the heavy duty knife turbine developed significant technical problems which forced the delay of start for the Second Crop at that estate.
“The Corporation’s engineers and technicians have been working continuously to ensure that the downtime for the factory was minimal. Hence, the damaged parts for the turbine, knife shaft and knives were sourced and replaced speedily.
“The Corporation’s engineers have assured that all of the necessary safety checks have been carried out on the turbine as recommended by the manufacturer and as stated in the operations and maintenance manual. The factory has since been handed over for grinding operation to recommence”, the statement said.
Stabroek News had been told that the turbine-fuelled sugar cane shredder sped out of control on August 11, bursting the belt and ejecting the shredder blades. An employee told this newspaper: “where it goes too speed, there is a safety mechanism [that is] is supposed to kick in, I am not sure if slow it down or stop it completely, but that unfortunately did not work and all the apparatus went flying out. Understand that the belt moves and the hammers cut up and crush up at the same time. So there are about 70 knives or hammers and when that [incident] was finished, only about six were left”.
While some losses were incurred as a result of staling of canes which were burnt at the time of the incident, GuySuCo said that the losses were minimal. With good attendance and a focused management and staff, the statement said that the estate is set to achieve its Second Crop target, of 10,780 tonnes. The other two estates will produce the remainder of the target for the crop – 68,045 tonnes of sugar; with Albion Estate projected to produce 38,160 and Blairmont Estate, 19,105.
