Mr Phillip Paulwell Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining is confident that the Alpart bauxite and alumina plant at Nain, St Elizabeth, will re open soon, as discussions with U C Rusal, the majority share holders and operators of the plant are going well.
Mr Paulwell said that the latest round of discussions with representatives of U C Rusal took place on November 27th 2012 and that another is scheduled for the near future. We have to get Alpart re-opened, we have to get our bauxite and alumina back to where it was, and we have to get employment going. I have said to the representatives of UC Rusal, what you have there is precious to us, you have good reserves and we cannot afford to keep the place locked down."
Mr Paulwell emphasized that before the end of this year, a date and schedule for the re-opening of the plant must be established. I have said to them U C Rusal that before this year is out we are going to have to come and tell the people of St Elizabeth the date and schedule for the re opening. The good news is that they continue to maintain the plant, even though it is closed."
He said that that energy generation is playing an important role in the re-opening of the plant, and that as soon as a solution is found to the energy issue and that is expected by the end of December, then there will be a move to have the plant re opened for business which should lead to the generation of employment in the area. The discussions also include a program to make the mined out lands in the parish and other parishes available to persons who want to do farming with some of the lands to be used as water catchments to support the farming projects.
He added that "By the end of January 2013 we intend to start the allocation of those mined out lands to farmers who will have to take farming to a higher level. More scientific methods of farming might have to be adopted.