$488M asphalt plant arrives; to produce better quality roads
─ eco-friendly asphalt plant built to specifications
─will be fully installed by September
DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Guyana’s newest asphalt plant has been brought in from Germany and currently sits at the Demerara Shipping Wharf awaiting assembly. The $488 Million technological asset is a major boost to the continued infrastructural development of Guyana.
The plant promises to increase the Government’s capacity to execute works with reduced expenses. During an inspection of the plant, Minister of Public Infrastructure the Hon. David Patterson noted, “we have a lot of work to do. We want to do more, but with a bigger, better-asphalted plant, we can do more work at a cheaper cost.”
Minister Patterson stated that plans have been in the pipeline for some time to acquire an asphalt plant. “I am pleased. We have started the work. This is an accumulation of a long-term planning exercise. We began since 2015-2016. These things take time, but we are almost at the end of the ‘road’.”
Additionally, General Manager within the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC), Rawlston Adams was optimistic about the opportunities that will be realised when the asphalt plant comes on stream. Speaking with the Department of Public Information, GM Adams said that Guyanese, “will benefit from better quality roads. We will be able to now produce a lot of asphalt because the demand for infrastructural development post-2020 is going be very, very high.”
As the Coalition Government works toward the realisation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Number 9 which seeks to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation; the asphalt plant is uniquely designed with the environment and economy in mind.
“We can create an industry of recycled plastics. People can collect plastics, clean it, chip it and sell it to us. We can use that as part of our mix. We can also use recycled rubber so the car tyres that are being thrown away, you can take that, chip it, use that as part of the [raw] material. So, therefore we are saying this plant is the most modern plant you will find in the Caribbean,” the General Manager related.
This eco-friendly asphalt plant will replace the existing one that is aged and lacks a good record in environmental protection. In January 2018, the Public Infrastructure Minister, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry along with DHBC’s General-Manager travelled to Germany to ensure the asphalt plant meets desired specifications. Plans are afoot to have the asphalt plant fully installed by September of this year in Garden of Eden.