Muneshwers, John Fernandes building US$285M port in Berbice; to create about 1,000 jobs

John Fernandes and Muneshwers, two major Guyanese companies, joined forces to form the Cranes Guyana Consortium, and on the heels of a recent venture that modernised the Georgetown port, they will soon make a major investment in Berbice.

“They have formed a consortium, and they are raising the capital for the investment in the first phase of a port facility here in Berbice.

“That investment- they want to turn the sod in the coming weeks- it would be an investment of US285 million,” Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced on Saturday during a community meeting in New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne).

Passionately, the President declared, “It will create 1,000 jobs.”

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Beyond this facility, the Guyanese Head of State told residents that the government is also working with an international company, Bechtel, on the possible development of a deepwater port in Berbice.

Government officials have increasingly spoken about the need for a deepwater port to support Guyana’s rapidly expanding economy. The government also wants to position Guyana as a key transport hub, leveraging the country’s geographical position at the northern edge of the South American continent and easy connections to Brazil and Suriname.

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On Saturday, Dr. Ali said the deepwater port will support the country’s second natural gas development. The first gas project, the Wales Gas-to-Energy project, is being developed on the West Bank of Demerara and should be operational this year. Once that project is operational, a 300 megawatt, natural gas-fired power plant should provide cleaner, cheaper electricity in Guyana. A Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility there is also expected to produce other products, like cooking gas, for both local consumption and export.

Dr. Ali said the power brought to Berbice with the second gas development will be used to power an artificial intelligence (AI) data centre to be built in Berbice.

Outside of these ventures, the President promised Berbicians that they will get a mega four-lane bridge, similar to the new Demerara Harbour Crossing, and Rose Hall will get a municipal airport