Georgetown : The Engineering Procurement and Construction agreement (EPC) for the construction of the Amaila Falls Hydro project and Transmission Line was today executed in Xian, China by Sithe Global and China Railway First Group (CRFG). The contract was executed by Mr. Bruce Wrobel, CEO of Sithe Global and Dr. Sun Yonggang, Chairman of China Railway First Group.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh described the occasion as a historic moment for Guyana and for Guyana-China relations, alluding to the strong historic relations between the two countries and the increasing role that Chinese enterprises are playing in the development of Guyana.
Minister Singh stated that the Amaila Falls project presented an opportunity for these relations to enter a new phase as the project represented the single largest investment in Guyana and, one of the largest Chinese investments in the Caribbean.
“This transformational project is the single largest investment in Guyana and will allow Guyana in one single step to move from being almost entirely dependenton costly fossil fuels to being supplied almost entirely by renewable energy. We are delighted to have such credible partners recognize the importance of the project and be ready to invest private capital in Guyana,” Minister Singh said.
CEO of Sithe Global, Mr. Bruce Wrobel, stated that, “We are pleased to be associated with this project, long in the making, that will make a huge difference to the people of Guyana and is representative of the globalised world that we inhabit, a project with many important players, such as the CRFG, CDB, IDB, the Government of Norway, and the GoG).”
The EPC contract, valued US$506 M, is the largest infrastructure contract ever executed in Guyana. The signing signals an important milestone in the development of the US$840 M Amaila Falls Hydro project which is expected to start by mid 2013.
Minister Singh concluded his remarks stating that, “I am delighted to represent Guyana at this historic milestone and I urge all partners to recommit their efforts to seeing the timely realisation of financial close and implementation of this project all the way to its coming into operation.”
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