Saith says more land needed for industrial expansion
By Curtis Williams
The Trinidad Guardian
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
01 07 07
Energy
Minister Dr Lenny Saith has warned that more land
must be found for additional industrial estates
or the country will have to reconsider its industrial
expansion.
Speaking
with the Business Guardian about protests over government’s
decision to hasten the construction of an industrial
estate offshore Otaheite, Dr Saith said all of the
current industrial estates were full and government
needed the space if it is to make T&T a modern
industrial country.
He
said, “The country may have to decide if it
wants further industrial expansion and if it does
then we will have to find more land to build those
estates. La Brea is full, Point Lisas is full, even
though we are considering expanding it further.”
The
energy minister reminded that the idea of building
an industrial estate offshore Otaheite was not new
and the plan is to construct the estate with a causeway
linking it to the southern village.
He
said, “ We have to find additional locations
or say that is the end of it. The National Energy
Corporation (NEC) is looking at several sites all
over the country including areas like Guayaguayare.”
Asked
if Guayaguayare was a possible site for an aluminium
smelter, Dr Saith said, “Guayaguayare has
its particular challenges, that of a coastline which
is not sheltered. So that may not be the best place
but what I am trying to say is that we are looking
all over the country.”
Following
months of protests, government abandoned plans for
an industrial estate at Chatham.
The
then proposed estate was due to house the Alcoa
aluminium smelter.
In
making the announcement on Christmas Eve, Prime
Minister Patrick Manning said that an alternative
site would be identified for the smelter.
Dr
Saith denied that the Otaheite site was the location
where the proposed smelter would be built.
He
said government had merely identified the island
to be reclaimed from the sea as one of several potential
sites to be offered to Alcoa.
Saith
added that no decision had so far been made on a
site for the proposed smelter.
He
said, “We are not proposing to put it (Alcoa’s
aluminium smelter) on the island which we intend
to construct offshore Otaheite.”
The
prime minister had identified the Otaheite site
as the new home for the now controversial Alcoa
smelter.
Manning’s
announcement has led to mounting protests from Otaheite
residents who object to the proposed smelter being
relocated to their area.
Government
is proposing to build a 4,000- acre island in the
Gulf of Paria to be used as an industrial estate.
Saith
said, “We told Alcoa that we will look at
alternative sites for them. The proposed island
joined by a causeway is just one of those sites.
The NEC is looking at several sites. The island
is 4,000 acres, Alcoa needs only 400 acres.”
The
Trinidad Guardian
Thursday 4th Janurary, 2007
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Trinidad Publishing Company Limited.
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