Indian
industrial giant clears hurdle to Pt Lisas
The Trinidad Guardian
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
03 04 07
The
Essar Group, one of India’s largest steel
and energy corporations, has been granted a certificate
of environmental clearance (CEC) to set up a US$1.76
billion iron and steel complex on former Caroni
(1975) Ltd land at Phoenix Park.
Essar
Steel Caribbean Ltd will be one of the biggest clients
on an industrial estate which will occupy 3,000
acres of former sugarcane land. the plant will have
a capacity of 2.5 million tonnes a year.
The
new estate will be an expansion of the Point Lisas
Industrial Industrial Estate, where Mittal Steel,
another major Indian firm, operates the Caribbean
Steel Mills.
John
Jones, the National Energy Corporation’s (NEC)
engineering and construction supervisor, told the
Guardian the new estate will be bigger than the
Point Lisas Industrial Estate and south of the original
estate in Couva.
A
newspaper advertisement from the authority on Wednesday
stated that Essar and the EMA had agreed to change
a certain condition of the original CEC which had
been granted.
The
EMA said a consent order to this end had been filed
with the Environmental Commission on February 14.
It
added that an administrative record, which includes
“the major environmental issue involved in
the matter,” was established.
Jones,
commenting on the transformation of Central Trinidad’s
sugar cane belt, said the new industrial estate
will bring better jobs with higher salaries and
progress to the area.
Jones
said the 3,000 acres of land had already been transferred
from the Estate Management & Business Development
Company (EMBD) to the NEC.
He
claimed that there had already been a good response
to the coming of the new industrial estate.
Westlake
Chemical Corporation, a Texas-based firm, has applied
to the EMA for a CEC to set up a US$1.5 billion
plastics industry in the new industrial estate.
Westlake
signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government
in April 2006 to jointly develop a polyethylene
manufacturing complex.
Westlake
hopes to start construction of the new plastics
plant in late 2007 and start operation in 2010.
Westlake
officials have already held two public consultations
with residents of Phoenix Park and promised that
many jobs will be created in the industry and in
services that support it.
During
the consultations, Phoenix Park residents expressed
fear that their village, sandwiched between the
Point Lisas Industrial Estate and the proposed extension
one, would be dessimated.
But
Westlake said the environmental impact of the plant
will be minor or nil and officials promised to observe
all local environmental laws.
Trinidad Guardian
Thursday 1st March, 2007
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©2007 Trinidad Guardian. All Rights Reserved.
