Opinion
- Editorial
John
Spence:
Aluminium smelting symposium (III)
Part
III
I conclude this series of articles with a discussion
of the Alutrint proposal and list alternative developments
in the south west.
The
health issues are similar for the Alcoa and Alutrint
smelting industries. However the health risks would
seem, from the information available to the general
public, to depend on the technology to be used.
Alcoa has given information on the standards expected
in their modern smelters with respect to emissions
of noxious gases. We have not had a similar public
information campaign from Alutrint. This is surprising
since Alutrint is 60 per cent government owned.
Perhaps we will hear from that company in the symposium
particularly as the technology to be used by Alutrint
is relatively new Chinese technology and it appears
that this country will be the first to use it outside
of China.
Since
government will have a 60 per cent share in Alutrint
if we supply natural gas for that smelter at a low
price, at least 60 per cent of the benefit will
accrue to this country whereas all the benefits
from the Alcoa smelter will accrue to that company.
The
Alutrint smelter is much smaller, is to be constructed
on land that is already cleared, does not require
1,000 acres of buffer zone and all of the production
is said to be for downstream activities. The different
requirements for land area have not been explained
either by Alcoa or Alutrint. If there is no health
risk from the Alcoa smelter why is 1,000 acres of
buffer space required? If there is a health risk
that requires such a large buffer zone why does
Alutrint not require this also?
With
respect to payment of taxes since Alutrint is Government
controlled tax avoidance could be controlled. In
case of Alcoa since all the production is being
exported this could be sold to subsidiary companies
of Alcoa and the pricing so arranged that little
or no taxes are paid in Trinidad and Tobago. Brazil's
Federal Revenue Department has levied a fine to
the order of US$304 million against Alcoa's Brazilian
subsidiary.
There
still remains the fact that smelting requires a
very substantial electricity supply to be generated
using natural gas and there is no doubt that the
attraction of Trinidad and Tobago to the companies
that smelt aluminum is the low gas price. In both
cases-Alcoa and Alutrint-it is my view that better
use could be made of the gas; for example for longer
term downstream aluminium industries based on imported
aluminium. The Japanese are wise enough to understand
this so a Japanese firm is also bidding to construct
an aluminium smelter in this country and will benefit
from our low priced natural gas to smelt while their
aluminium products industry is based on imported
aluminium. We must be content to receive the crumbs
offered by the few jobs and doubtful tax payments
and risk adverse health and environmental effects!
In
previous articles (Alternatives to Smelting, Express,
May 2006) I suggested developments of two industries
in the south west: tourism, based on the development
of a Nature Park and to include all the other attributes
of a beautiful, relatively unspoiled part of Trinidad;
and agriculture, based on a livestock industry and
on honey production.
Some
of our political leaders, and regretfully some of
our technocrats, seem to believe that the only form
of development is industrialization with heavy industry.
They are clearly in a twentieth century mindset
and have not yet adjusted to the 21st century!
Having
been emancipated from drudgery in the sugarcane
fields we are now to be enslaved as factory workers
in environments in which there is a risk to health
(even if this risk is small and the effects long
term). The independence of successful farming, owning
bed and breakfast establishments, opening restaurants
are apparently not being considered.
Recently
we had a visit from the Vice-President of India
and I listened to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
of this country saying that we could benefit from
an association with India since that country was
rapidly being industrialised. But India is also
developing information technology capabilities.
Why do we not learn from the Indian experience in
that area?
It
is my hope that the symposium will include presentations
on health from independent medical experts; on alternative
development possibilities from the Ministry of Planning;
and from independent persons with knowledge of the
local environment to assess any adverse environmental
effects.
In
the past Alcoa has provided advice from a junior
medical "expert". We must understand that
even if one is a member of a prodigious institution,
an Assistant Professor is on the lowest rung of
the ladder of academic achievement. I hope that
on this occasion the symposium will hear from Professor
Sim, the leader of the Healthwise study of workers
in the aluminium industry in Australia.
We
wait to see how this hurriedly prepared symposium
turns out.
John Spence is
one of the Trinidad's Express columnist. Petroleumworld
not necessarily share these views.
Editor's
Note: This article was first publish in Trinidad
Express on,
November 23th 2006.
Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest
of our readers.
Fair use Notice: This site contains
copyrighted material the use of which has not always
been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
We are making such material available in our efforts
to advance understanding of issues of environmental
and humanitarian significance. We believe this constitutes
a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section
107. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.
All works published by Petroleumworld
are in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107,
this material is distributed without profit to those
who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
the included information for research and educational
purposes. Petroleumworld has no affiliation whatsoever
with the originator of this article nor is Petroleumworld
endorsed or sponsored by the originator. Petroleumworld
encourages persons to reproduce, reprint, or broadcast
Petroleumworld articles provided
that any such reproduction identify the original
source, http://www.petroleumworld.com or else and
it is done within the fair use as provided for in
section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish
to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes
of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must
obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com
are appreciated.
Petroleumworld
11/26/06
Copyright
©2006 Trinidad
Express.
All Rights Reserved.
