• Submitted by: manso
• Business and Economy
• 04 / 12 / 2011

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2011.04.11 - 14:56:39 / radiorebelde.icrt.cu. Sugar refinery. CAMAGUEY, Cuba. -The sugar refinery mill Argentina, in the province of Camaguey, produced 25,000 tons of refined sugar without consuming fuel oil in energy generation and meeting the plan for this year.

Located outside the municipality of Florida, the mill used biomass instead of oil as fuel for the furnaces, advisor for the sugar business group (Grupo Empresarial Azucarero) Camagüey, Sergio Monteagudo told ACN.

The factory used the sugar cane bagasse and straw collected during the harvest to produce the biomass used as alternative energy source.

Monteagudo said 52 litters of oil are usually used to produce one tone of refined sugar, so the mill saved to the Cuban economy 1,300 tons of oil.

Taking into account current oil prices on the international market ($671 one ton), the mill saved the country more than $872,000.

The mill will end operations related to the sugar cane harvest by mid April surpassing the crude sugar plans, while refining activities will continue, although using fuel oil it will not be able to collect the bagasse and straw after the harvest concludes, Lazaro Rodríguez, head of the control department explained.

The plan for the factory is to produce a total of 30,000 tons of white sugar for the national market, which would cost the country $707 a ton if bought on the international market.

In Camagüey there is another sugar refinery at the Ignacio Agramonte mill, located as well in Florida. The two factories are expected to yield 60,000 tons total.(ACN)