Alutrint:
Chinese arrival in ‘phases’
PORT SPAIN
Petroleumworldtt.com
03 09 08
An estimated 1,500 skilled Chinese workers who
are expected to be brought to Trinidad to work
on the construction of the Alutrint smelter plant,
including its auxiliary facilities, would be brought
in on a phased basis and not as a single group.
Alutrint public affairs manager Clement James
said this yesterday as he elaborated on the announcement
about the use of Chinese workers on the project
by the acting chief executive officer Philip Julien
during a public consultation on the La Brea plant
on Thursday.
James said the infrastructure for the facility
was being laid down at the Union Industrial Estate,
and the company was waiting on final approval from
the Environmental Management Authority before starting
construction.
“We are still not sure when the Chinese
workers would arrive but we are hoping to begin
piling work by April but that is all subject to
the EMA approvals although we were granted a certificate
of environmental clearance since last April or
May,” said James. Asked whether the workers
had the skills to construct an aluminium smelter
plant, James said the contractor, the China National
Machinery & Equipment Import & Export Corporation
(CMEC) had built similar facilities in other countries.
According
to CMEC’s web site, the company
has experience in the construction of energy facilities,
heavy duty mining installations and in the light
and textile industries.
James said CMEC would also construct the downstream
industries associated with the smelter plant.
And
as to the local participation, he said Alutrint
had insisted that “transfer of technology” be
part of the agreement between the companies. Local
workers would be trained in all aspects of the
project include operations.
Construction
was expected to take close to three years to
complete and an estimated 2,000 persons
would be employed during this phase, while an estimated
800 permanent jobs would be created and sustained
over a 20 to 30 year. An estimated 2,000 “spin-off
jobs” are expected to also be created.
An EMA officer said yesterday the authority has
been reviewing several reports from Alutrint on
the construction and early operation of the La
Brea plant. She said the reports were on sedimentation
and dust emissions and its impact on the environment
and communities during construction. A decision
would be made on whether approval would be granted
for the construction phase.
If
the approval is not given, Alutrint can submit
new reports and apply again after complying with
the EMA’s recommendations.
Story
Richardson Dhalai from Trinidad & Tobago's
Newsday
Trinidad & Tobago's Newsday
March 8 2008
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