With increasing questions being asked, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) yesterday said that the $600m estimate given to fix the burnt Albion Estate powerhouse is accurate.
GuySuCo was responding to a statement released on Tuesday by the People’s National Congress Reform/A Partnership for National Unity (PNCR/APNU) raising questions about the huge amount needed to restore the plant.
PNCR/APNU had also asked if there had been an investigation of the fire and the corporation was emphatic about this.
“Yes! An investigation/enquiry was conducted by the Guyana Fire Service and a report was submitted to GuySuCo. The estimated cost submitted by the Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha, Minister of Agriculture, of 600 million Guyana dollars is an accurate representation based upon the engineering estimates; it must be noted that there are two outstanding items in that of Power Generator Sets and Transformers, both of which are in the procurement process, which GuySuCo always follow the standard operating procedure on procurement.
“Mr. Jordan needs to be informed that remedial works conducted on the power plant resulted in the factory being in full production mode for the second crop of 2024’, GuySuCo said.
GuySuCo provided no information on the findings of the report on the fire. Given the figure of $600m, questions have been asked about what caused the fire and who is culpable.
Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Vinceroy Jordan, has submitted the following questions to the National Assembly “on behalf of all Guyanese who demand accountability.”
Concerning the destruction of GuySuCo’s Albion Estate power plant control room; a) could the Minister kindly state whether an inquiry was launched into the cause of the fire and the total damage sustained in the control room and powerhouse? b) also, whether it was due to negligence and who was held accountable for the damage?
Concerning the rehabilitation of GuySuCo’s Albion Estate powerhouse control room; a) could the Minister state what were the repairs done amounting to $600 million dollars as announced by him as the cost for the rehabilitation of the damaged powerhouse? b) could the Minister provide the engineer’s damage assessment report (cost included) and the engineer’s estimate for works completed? c) could the Minister detail the procurement processes followed for the procurement and supply of materials and labour to complete the rehabilitation works? d) could the Minister provide the list of contractors to supply materials and complete the works at the powerhouse control room?
Stabroek News had first reported that the fire on February 3rd this year caused major damage to the Albion Estate control room, reportedly leaving the factory with over $50 million in losses. While estate officials had remained silent on the matter initially, Stabroek News was told that the fire, suspected to be electrical in origin, quickly spread throughout the control room before it was eventually put out.
In the process the fire destroyed or damaged a number of pieces of specialized equipment.
In order to ensure the Albion Estate stayed on course with the other estates countrywide, which were expected to commence grinding in the first week of March, Stabroek News was told that emergency purchase of the equipment which was damaged would have to be carried out so as to return the control room to operation.
Then Chief Executive Officer of GuySuCo, Sasenarine Singh, three days after the fire, on his Facebook page pledged to ensure that the control room at the Albion Sugar Estate was fixed promptly.
While on the official front GuySuCo had remained silent on the matter up to that point, Singh posted on social media that he spent the following day with engineers working on it.
He said, “Yes, it will be fixed and we shall grind earlier than they think.”
One day after Singh’s post GuySuCo in its first statement on the matter said that the preliminary report on the fire “revealed serious damage to crucial electrical infrastructure in the Powerhouse, including the 4 megawatts generating control panel, 2.5 megawatts generating control panels, 700 kilowatts low voltage cap set control panel, 3.3 kv interbus transformer, interbus transformer barker, a sections of the low voltage bus bar and several major section(s) of the circuitry”.
GuySuCo said that at a minimum “large sections of the wiring have to be replaced along with the damaged panels, and all of the breakers, and other components, in order to return the factory to a state of readiness to grind sugar in the First Crop of 2024”.
It had said that it was in the process of concluding the needs assessment, and was working to procure the necessary replacement panels and other items. It said that it would provide further updates on the progress of the rebuilding.
According to GuySuCo, the fire at around 12:30 pm occurred in the lower section of the Power Plant at the Albion Sugar Factory.
