10 companies interested in developing fertiliser plant at Wales

At least 10 companies have submitted proposals to design, construct and operate an Ammonia/Urea Plant at the Wales Industrial Zone, West Bank Demerara, utilising the rich natural gas being produced offshore Guyana.

As the Guyana Government pursues Phase Two of the Gas-to-Energy Project, it plans to utilise the excess natural gas that will be piped onshore from the prolific Stabroek Block for a number of industrial projects at the Wales.

Back in October, government had invited proposals to Design, Engineer, Construct and Operate an Ammonia/Urea Plant and 10 companies, many of which are consortiums, responded.

These include Lindsayca Guyana Inc. – the company that is constructing the highly-anticipated Gas-to-Energy Project at Wales.

Also interested in the fertilizer plant are several Chinese consortiums: China CAMC Engineering Co., China National Chemical Engineering Co., and Dubai-based East Consulting Engineering Company; China Railway First Group Co. Ltd, SEDIN Engineering Co. Ltd; Hualu Engineering & Technology Co. Ltd and China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation consortium; and China Wuhan Engineering Corporation Limited.

Phoenix Welding & Fabricating Inc – a Trinidad-based company operating in Guyana; Ideal Engineering Services Inc., a locally registered company in consortium with Nigeria-based Montego Upstream Services Ltd; Northern EPC Alliance (NEA), Lee Kieswetter Heavy Civil (LKHC) of UK, and Valor EPC of Canada were also among the bidders.

Another consortium of Japanese Morimatsu, Italian Arkad SpA, and Netherlands-based CC7 Europe; and Kalpataru Projects International Limited – an India-based company operating in Guyana, also submitted proposals.

According to the EPC proposals, interested companies will enter into a public-private partnership model, via the Guyana Ammonia and Urea Plant, to manufacture 300,000 tons of fertilizer/annum. The project, pegged at US$300M, is expected to be ready by 2028 when the Gas-to-Energy Phase Two will come on stream.

The proposed Guyana Ammonia and Urea Plant will manufacture and sell fertiliser to the local and regional markets with the aim of lowering fertiliser prices.

This project will also coincide with the cooking gas bottling plant for which government also received 10 proposals last month.