GAICO Construction and General Services Inc. is building a fertilizer blending plant and a second wharf on the West Bank of Demerara. The combined investment cost is estimated to exceed US$10 million, GAICO’s Chief Executive Officer, Komal Singh told OilNOW.
The projects are being constructed near the site of an integrated gas processing facility. First gas, from the Gas-to-Energy project, is expected to boost the manufacturing and agriculture sectors, and GAICO is positioning itself early to play a central role.
“The projection is that [Gas-to-Energy] will reduce energy costs by 50%. We cannot wait to develop infrastructure that will be needed when the manufacturing industry starts booming,” Singh said.
The wharf is expected to support the operations of the fertilizer blending plant, as well as for loading of goods and services as the need arises. It follows the first US$30 million wharf and laydown yard GAICO built at Nismes.
The plant is expected to have a processing capacity of 200 tons per day. Given the transformation the agriculture sector is undergoing, Singh expects further massive expansion in the next few years. He plans for the plant to play a critical role, not just in meeting domestic demand, but for regional export.
The Guyana government expects first gas from the Liza field in the first half of 2025. This depends on the completion of the integrated gas processing facility, including a 300-megawatt (MW) combined cycle gas turbine power plant. Government expects the contractor, CH4-Lindsayca, to deliver the plant in the first half of 2025.
Included in the facility will also be a natural gas liquids (NGL) processing plant. Guyana aims to be a top NGL supplier for Brazil’s Roraima state, the Dominican Republic, and the Caribbean, the government has said. It will tender soon for a storage facility and marketer for the NGLs.
