[www.inewsguyana.com] – Skeldon Estate has surpassed its target of 13,795 tonnes of sugar for the first crop this year by 40 tonnes, comparing more than favourably with the actual production of 4,994 and 6,633 tonnes in 2013 and 2012, first crops, respectively.
The cane yield recorded in the first crop this year is 60.5 tonnes cane per hectare (TCH) against a budget of 42.4 TCH. It’s the highest actual TCH compared to the yields recorded in the first crop of 2013 and 2012 of 41.5 TCH and 55.3 TCH, respectively.
The tonnes of cane per tonnes of sugar (TC/TS) of 17.39 this year have outperformed those of 2013 and 2012 when 17.86 and 19.69 were recorded, respectively.
In the period January to May this year, the estate has supplied 26,431 MW/HR or an average of 5,286 MW/HR to the national grid that extends from Skeldon via the 69KV lines to Number 53 sub-station onwards to Mahaica on the East Coast of Demerara. The monthly average for 2013 and 2012 was 4,390 and 2,996, respectively.
In the second crop this year, which is anticipated to commence on August 2 and run for 14 weeks, Skeldon Estate is targeted to process 363,284 tonnes cane to produce 26,969 tonnes sugar with TC/TS of 13.47.
Total sugar production this year should be approximately 40,800; compared to 33,309 and 25,380 in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Between the conclusion of the first crop and the commencement of the second crop, the estate is scheduled to undergo extensive engineering work in the factory. There will be the replacement of hydraulic components on both punt dumpers such as control valves and lifting/tilting cylinders so as to improve the reliability of the dumpers to sustain an hourly throughput of 220 tonnes cane.
Modification of the outboard punt dumper was awarded to an external contractor, and this project is anticipated to be completed in January 2015. Additional works include replacement of process pumps, isolation valves to evaporators and continuous vacuum pans and air heater tubes on number two boiler.
[Extracted from GINA]
