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Bio-fuel MoU…Ansa McCal approached Govt. for ‘non-financial’ support
– Dr. Ramsammy
By Gary Eleazar
The Ansa McCal Group of Companies had approached the Government of Guyana to solicit non financial support for the establishment of a sugar cane based ethanol plant.
This is according to Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy who during this week’s Parliamentary Sessions responded to A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) Dr. Rupert Roopnarine who was seeking clarification on the MoU inked.
Dr. Ramsammy was made to respond, in writing, to Dr. Roopnarine’s request for details of the agreement reached, “to avail a foreign investor, reportedly of more than 44, 515 acres of state land for the establishment of a facility to produce ethanol.”
This format for a reply by a Member of Parliament, is provided for under the Standing Orders.
Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy engaged in deep discussion with his colleague Parliamentarian Dharamkumar Seeraj.
Dr. Ramsammy informed the House, that the investor (Ansa McCal) has an interest in participating in the growing bio-fuel industry, as part of its future expansion and diversification.
He said that it is in this regard, the investor (Ansa McCal) has developed a concept plan for the production of bio-ethanol using sugar cane.
“The investor has approached the Government of Guyana to consider a feasibility study which will investigate the possibility of sugar cane production of about 2M tons per year and the production of bio-ethanol of about 40M gallons annually.”
Dr. Ramsammy also informed the House that the company “has requested non-financial support from the Guyana Government to build a commercial bio-ethanol business in Guyana.”
This support, Dr. Ramsammy said, involves the commitment of the Guyana Government towards an agro-energy policy.
“This policy was being developed since 2007 and this year we will finalize the policy,” he said.
The Agriculture Minister also informed the House that the Government of Guyana has also agreed that should the feasibility study lead to Ansa McCaL investing in the development of a cane-based bio-ethanol enterprise, the Government will be in a position to lease at least 42,000 hectares of land for this purpose, with the possibility of adding more land for sugar cane cultivation and further expansion of bio-ethanol production.”
The MoU inked with Ansa McCal gained traction in the local media after it was discovered to have been done secretly in Trinidad and Tobago by the previous administration.
The company officials subsequently flew to Guyana and denied engaging in a secret deal but did concede a delay in making the announcement.
At a press conference held at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown, Ansa McAl executives said the multi-national company is putting TT$17M into the feasibility study.
If the study shows that the project is viable, the company said that it would be willing to put between TT$250M and TT$300M to get the project up and running.
Currently, the company said they have no partners.
In doing so, the company would need a huge expanse of land to plant whatever crop they choose with sugar cane being the preferred option at this time.
It was the Trinidad Guardian which announced that the MoU was signed between the Government and Ansa McAl on September 30th, 2011.
Prior to that publication, the Guyana Government did not make the signing of the MoU public.
A statement by Ansa McAl had originally said that the agro-energy industrial project will be built on 110,000 (approx. 425 square miles) hectares of virgin land.
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