High-quality local sand to drive glass manufacturing at Wales Industrial Zone 

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Tuesday disclosed that the Guyana Government is working on developing a major glass manufacturing industry, utilising the country’s high-quality sand.
Speaking during the Berbice Development Summit Agenda, he said the goal is to produce high-quality glass that can be used in the automobile and other lucrative industries.
“…that is linked to the quality of sand that we have… We are historically known to give you the finest beaches that you enjoy around the region, with Guyanese sand, but we want to add value to that high-value commodity with the gas and create this whole new industry and hub around us here in Guyana,” the president said.
The development of the glass factory is part of the Government’s plans for the Wales Industrial Zone, which will also feature a data centre and an ammonia/urea (fertiliser) plant.
A few years ago, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) launched a feasibility study on the possibility of establishing a glass manufacturing facility in Guyana.
The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) has been pushing for the development of a glass factory in the country.
In fact, GMSA President Rafeek Khan recently noted that Guyana currently imports all of its glass bottles used in local industries, something which, he said, could be produced locally.
Glass is made by melting a mixture of sand (silica), soda ash, and limestone at very high temperatures in a furnace, which turns the raw materials into a molten liquid. This liquid glass is then shaped into different products.