THE Government of Guyana and Sithe Global wish to clarify, for the benefit of the public, the need for changes that have been announced in the engineering design and scope of works of the access road to the Amaila Falls Hydropower project development.

The original road design was prepared by the Ministry of Public Works in collaboration with Sithe Global and the design was reviewed by China Railway.

The original road design required the construction of a continuous road consisting of approximately 85 kilometres of new road and the upgrade of approximately 122 kilometres of existing road. Construction of the road commenced on the upgrade portion on October 5, 2010 and the virgin section on January 11, 2011.

Following a site inspection of the access road by China Railway, in April of this year, it was determined that certain enhancements to the design should be made to facilitate the delivery of supplies and equipment to reduce the overall cost of the Amaila Falls project.

Specifically, China Railway indicated a preference for a wider road, higher degree of compaction and thicker capping to enhance the durability in anticipation of the continuous, heavier load traffic expected on the road.  These enhancements facilitate the delivery of prefabricated equipment that is heavier but requires less cost to erect in the field.

Sithe Global, in consultation with GoG, engaged the services of BBFL and Earth Investigation Systems Ltd., based in Trinidad & Tobago, in May this year to evaluate China Railway’s requests as well as independently verify the suitability of the work scope and changes made the by Ministry of Public Works since the original award of contract.

The report submitted by BBFL and EISL has independently confirmed that the changes in scope, requested by the Ministry of Public Works, are suitable and will meet the requirements of the project and China Railway.