T&T
still not sold on smelter plants
By Curtis Rampersad
Trinidad Express
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
12 10 06
It
was described as a success but it did not unfold
exactly the way Government hoped it would.
Twenty-four
hours after Wednesday's symposium on the aluminium
industry at Paria Suites, La Romaine, Energy Minister
Lenny Saith admitted the day-long session had shown
there were possible health risks associated with
smelter projects.
Unless,
of course, they were properly managed and regulated,
as Saith said the two smelters in Trinidad would
be.
On
Friday, Prime Minister Patrick Manning also defended
the proposed billion-dollar projects at Chatham
and La Brea, telling the House of Representatives
that Alcoa and Alutrint would not get natural gas
supplies at "dog cheap prices".
He
would not disclose what the price being negotiated
hovered around, arguing that it could discourage
potential future investors.
Saith
also maintained that a gas price arrangement had
not yet been finalised.
Energy
sector sources have insisted that at least one of
the smelters is sealing the deal for what the technocrats
call a "competitive gas price" or what
those operating in the field have defined as "cheap
gas".
Experts
in the sector have taken the logical approach to
get a handle on what the gas price may be.
University
of the West Indies energy economics lecturer Gregory
McGuire pointed out at the symposium that the smelter
investors would seek out cheap gas because they
would need for it to generate power which makes
up about 35 per cent of operating costs at that
kind of facility.
Power
prices in Trinidad and Tobago are already the lowest
in the region, he pointed out.
"The
gas price now has to be substantially lower for
the plants to work," he added.
Protesters
also braved a downpour outside Paria Suites to protest
the smelter construction as the symposium was taking
place.
They
argued that Government could not adequately compensate
them for relocating from neighbourhoods where everyone
was friendly with everyone else.
Few
of them were invited to attend the sessions and
although standing microphones were set up, mostly
submitted written questions on the projects were
put to the panel of experts at the forum.
The
symposium was hosted by the South Trinidad Chamber
of Industry and Commerce along with the National
Energy Corporation and the University of Trinidad
and Tobago.
There
were a number of positive comments on smelter projects
from the experts, like employment for nationals
and downstream development.
They
were overwhelmed, though, by other experts who projected
the negative consequences of building the 120,000-tonne
Alutrint smelter and the US$1.5 billion Alcoa plant.
A
medical doctor suggested there were clear health
threats.
Another
expert warned of a possible increase in crime during
construction.
Yet
another spoke of environmental dangers and the destruction
of indigenous flora and fauna.
By
the end of Wednesday's symposium, there was certainly
more information on the smelter projects although
it did not change Government's position on pushing
ahead with the projects.
There
were also more questions.
Trinidad
Express
Tuesday, December 5th 2006
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