Stewart Engineers, a co-investor in and equipment and technology provider for the project, believes that the Kyzylorda float glass facility has the potential to be one of the best glass factories in the world. Stewart Engineers wants the project to be completed as quickly as possible, increasing employment in Kyzylorda and improving Kazakhstan’s glass market.
During the implementation, the project has incurred many setbacks, despite this, Stewart Engineers achieved significant milestones for the project, such as:
• delivering the design on schedule,
• obtaining Kazakhstan State expertise approval of the design ahead of the construction schedule,
• supplying over 100 million USD of equipment on schedule, and
• supervising the installation of more than 1,500 tonnes of support steel.
Despite the delayed payments, Stewart Engineers delivered several thousand dollars’ worth of ducting to the Kyzylorda work site as late as March 2019.
Even today, Stewart Engineers remains ahead of the construction schedule.
The process equipment cannot be installed until the buildings are complete. The following April 2019 picture shows current site conditions:
It should not be left unmentioned that over eight hundred 40-foot shipping containers worth of equipment supplied by Stewart Engineers sit at a partially completed site warehouse
Virtually all of the process equipment has been on site and ready for installation since December 2016.
According to the contract, construction is not in Stewart Engineers’ scope of work. Stewart Engineers believes that the recent changes in the construction company and Orda Glass’ ownership are positive for the future success of the project. However, Orda Glass has yet to fully address the losses and payment defaults suffered by Stewart Engineers and caused by the Baiterek corruption scandal. If all issues were resolved today so that work could commence immediately, Stewart Engineers realistically projects an August 2020 commissioning.
Stewart Engineers is ready, willing and able to return to the project once Orda Glass fulfills its contractual commitments.