Alutrint official: "Aluminium smelters no cause of cancer"
by Dixie Ann Dixon
Acting chief executive officer of Alutrint Phillip Julien says it is a myth that aluminium smelters can cause cancer. Julien made the statement at the launch of the brochure entitled the Aluminium Industry in T&T, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
“The issue of human health in regards to aluminium smelter all around the world has never been an issue...The greatest myth out there is the issue of cancer,” he said. He added that there had never been any reported cases of incidences of cancer.
Julien noted that the recent report of cancer and other health issues arising from a smelter plant in China was due to lead smelting and not aluminium smelting. He said the whole issue of cancer arose in certain areas of the workplace (aluminium plant) like working very closely with the anode—(part of the process in making the aluminium). Julien said the anodes were made of pitch and the pitch gave off something called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which was a potential cancer-causing agent.
Aluminium ProductsAluminium is a silvery-white, supple lightweight metal with appearances ranging from silvery to dull grey. It is a non-magnetic, non-sparking and is easily recognised by the symbol Al.The chief source of aluminium is bauxite ore which is processed by aluminium refineries into alumina. Some products made from aluminium include cellphones, aircraft, pots, roofs, CDs, power lines, cars, wheels, the lining of milk cartons and foil.
Phillip Julien is CEO of Alutrint.
Showing posts with label smelter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smelter. Show all posts
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
17th June, 2009, Press Statement from La Brea Concerned Citizens United on Judgement by Justice Mira Dean-Amorer on EMA's Award of a CEC to Alutrint
The concerned residents of La Brea are relieved that justice has been served in our struggle to protect our communities and lives from Alutrint and the people who want to force this smelter on us.
We thank the judge for upholding the integrity of the judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago. Justice Mira Dean-Amorer is a role model not only for those in the judiciary but throughout the country. We in La Brea know that integrity does not have a colour, it does not have a political party, and it does not have an economic status. We are grateful for the persons of integrity from other parts of the country that took this case to court and fought it on moral principles.
We are grateful for the attorneys who gave their time freely. We are grateful for Mr. Anselm Carter, of Square Deal who stood with integrity against the tide and took this case to court. We are grateful for all the persons young and old in La Brea today who have the courage to come out and say no to this destructive smelter. We are grateful for the many citizens of Trinidad who have come to our events or have sent letters of support to us.
We wish to reiterate the main points of the judgment in this historic case. The Judge, having cited the submissions of experts that spent pot lining posed the greatest risk to human health ruled that “having regard to the hazardous nature of the SPL and its potential to cause harm to human health, it was outrageous of the decision maker to leave such an issue unresolved before the CEC was granted. A reasonable decision maker would have insisted that the information sought by conditions would have been settled before the CEC was granted.”
In addition to the manner in which our health in La Brea was disregarded, the Judge spoke about the irregular way in which this happened. In ruling on the failure of the EMA to properly assess the cumulative health impacts of the port, power plant, and smelter on the people of La Brea the judge noted that “for no apparent reason” the March 28th cumulative impact report submitted by Alutrint was “shrouded in secrecy.” “Not only did it escape the Administrative Record it was never placed on the National Register. It seems that in respect of a factor as important as cumulative impact, which could have far reaching effects on the human health and safety, the Authority could have on the one last occasion exercised the meticulous care which it had taken throughout the preceding two years.” The Judge noted that the EMA received the cumulative impact report on March 28, 2007 and granted the CEC on April 2, 2007 a mere few days later without proper review.
We note that the EMA not only disregarded our health but appears to have shown a bias in favour of Alutrint. This fact should trouble all citizens of Trinidad. If we as citizens put an agency to safeguard our community and health and it behaves in a way that suggests it is more loyal to a company than to its national mandate, we must all worry. Today it is La Brea. Tomorrow it could be Maraval.
The Judge concluded that the decision made by the EMA to grant Alutrint a Certificate of Environmental Clearance was “procedurally irregular” and “irrational”. We would have thought that the quashing of Alutrint’s CEC would signal to our elected leaders that something is wrong. Instead we see Minister Emily Dick-Forde Gaynor, Minister of Physical Planning, Housing and Environment saying on the news that the CEC process was “flawless”. Should this Minister not be taking stock of what actually went wrong rather than soldiering on in denial? Is it unreasonable for the residents of La Brea to have expected some reassurance from her that she would look into the matter and ensure that our health was safeguarded?
The Minister of Energy, Mr. Conrad Enill, says that they will move ahead with the project and told the morning news on June 17 that the Government is seeing the long term benefit in this. This statement betrays what has been in the hearts of all those pushing this smelter on us – that the people of La Brea are dispensable. They think it is okay to destroy our communities, our lives, and our children’s lives so that some people can make money.
However, the contempt in which we are regarded could not have been better reflected than it was in the words of our very own representative, Fitzgerald Jeffrey, who, rather than being concerned said he was actually “disappointed” in the ruling of the Court because he saw the smelter as a way of getting the people of La Brea “out of the gutter”. So there we have it. Mr. Jeffrey sees himself as representing a gutter. An aluminium smelter belongs in a gutter. People in a gutter deserve to be deceived and to have to take their children every two years to find out if they are dying from cancer. This is what is in the mind and hearts of the people pushing this smelter. The truth is out of the bag.
We would like to draw your attention to another truth. Alutrint’s smelter exists only in the dreams of a few people and the nightmares of thousands. Take a look at the site, there is no smelter on that ground. No smelter is going to be built on that ground.
We thank the judge for upholding the integrity of the judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago. Justice Mira Dean-Amorer is a role model not only for those in the judiciary but throughout the country. We in La Brea know that integrity does not have a colour, it does not have a political party, and it does not have an economic status. We are grateful for the persons of integrity from other parts of the country that took this case to court and fought it on moral principles.
We are grateful for the attorneys who gave their time freely. We are grateful for Mr. Anselm Carter, of Square Deal who stood with integrity against the tide and took this case to court. We are grateful for all the persons young and old in La Brea today who have the courage to come out and say no to this destructive smelter. We are grateful for the many citizens of Trinidad who have come to our events or have sent letters of support to us.
We wish to reiterate the main points of the judgment in this historic case. The Judge, having cited the submissions of experts that spent pot lining posed the greatest risk to human health ruled that “having regard to the hazardous nature of the SPL and its potential to cause harm to human health, it was outrageous of the decision maker to leave such an issue unresolved before the CEC was granted. A reasonable decision maker would have insisted that the information sought by conditions would have been settled before the CEC was granted.”
In addition to the manner in which our health in La Brea was disregarded, the Judge spoke about the irregular way in which this happened. In ruling on the failure of the EMA to properly assess the cumulative health impacts of the port, power plant, and smelter on the people of La Brea the judge noted that “for no apparent reason” the March 28th cumulative impact report submitted by Alutrint was “shrouded in secrecy.” “Not only did it escape the Administrative Record it was never placed on the National Register. It seems that in respect of a factor as important as cumulative impact, which could have far reaching effects on the human health and safety, the Authority could have on the one last occasion exercised the meticulous care which it had taken throughout the preceding two years.” The Judge noted that the EMA received the cumulative impact report on March 28, 2007 and granted the CEC on April 2, 2007 a mere few days later without proper review.
We note that the EMA not only disregarded our health but appears to have shown a bias in favour of Alutrint. This fact should trouble all citizens of Trinidad. If we as citizens put an agency to safeguard our community and health and it behaves in a way that suggests it is more loyal to a company than to its national mandate, we must all worry. Today it is La Brea. Tomorrow it could be Maraval.
The Judge concluded that the decision made by the EMA to grant Alutrint a Certificate of Environmental Clearance was “procedurally irregular” and “irrational”. We would have thought that the quashing of Alutrint’s CEC would signal to our elected leaders that something is wrong. Instead we see Minister Emily Dick-Forde Gaynor, Minister of Physical Planning, Housing and Environment saying on the news that the CEC process was “flawless”. Should this Minister not be taking stock of what actually went wrong rather than soldiering on in denial? Is it unreasonable for the residents of La Brea to have expected some reassurance from her that she would look into the matter and ensure that our health was safeguarded?
The Minister of Energy, Mr. Conrad Enill, says that they will move ahead with the project and told the morning news on June 17 that the Government is seeing the long term benefit in this. This statement betrays what has been in the hearts of all those pushing this smelter on us – that the people of La Brea are dispensable. They think it is okay to destroy our communities, our lives, and our children’s lives so that some people can make money.
However, the contempt in which we are regarded could not have been better reflected than it was in the words of our very own representative, Fitzgerald Jeffrey, who, rather than being concerned said he was actually “disappointed” in the ruling of the Court because he saw the smelter as a way of getting the people of La Brea “out of the gutter”. So there we have it. Mr. Jeffrey sees himself as representing a gutter. An aluminium smelter belongs in a gutter. People in a gutter deserve to be deceived and to have to take their children every two years to find out if they are dying from cancer. This is what is in the mind and hearts of the people pushing this smelter. The truth is out of the bag.
We would like to draw your attention to another truth. Alutrint’s smelter exists only in the dreams of a few people and the nightmares of thousands. Take a look at the site, there is no smelter on that ground. No smelter is going to be built on that ground.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Alutrint's Framework Financing: "Locals Assured of Jobs in Building Alutrint Smelter"
On 5th May at the Hyatt Regency Hotel POS, Trinidad, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paula Gopee-Scoon (left) and Chinese ambassador, Huang Xing, signed the framework agreement for the provision of a concesional loan by China to complete financing of the Alutrint Aluminium Smelter Complex at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad hotel, while Minister of Energy, Conrad Enill (far left), looked on.
The Chinese ambassador to T&T, Huang Xing, said yesterday that the China National Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Corporation (CMEC), which is building the Alutrint Aluminium Smelter Complex in La Brea, will try to hire as many T&T citizens as it can in the construction of the plant.
But more importantly, he said the company will try to hand over to locals the operation, maintenance and management of the complex as early as possible, a move which he said will bring much benefit not just for the workers, but for the whole community of La Brea and T&T as a whole. The Alutrint Smelter plant is to be built on the Union Estate in La Brea.
Construction of the first phase of the project is expected to start in June and be completed in 2011. Phase One will be a smelter with a capacity to produce 125,000 tonnes of aluminium a year. Phase two—an expansion of the plant by another 125,000 tones a year—will begin in June 2011 and be finished in September 2013. Acting chief executive officer of Alutrint Limited, Phillip Julien, said that China had the expertise in the construction of aluminium smelters. However, he said CMEC is amenable to employing local contractors and this is where the local employment will be provided.
The disclosures were made at the end of a function held at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad hotel, 1 Dock Road, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, for the signing of a framework agreement between T&T and China for the provision of US$112 million, representing the balance of a concessional loan from China to T&T for the construction of the smelter. The agreement represented the final part of the financing for the project. Some US$300 million has already been provided under a buyer’s credit memorandum which was signed some time ago. (Text taken from Guardian Newspaper 6th May, 2009).
Monday, April 13, 2009
An Abuse of Power - Rushing the Gas: Energy Insecurity in a Binge Economy
Definition:
1 MW (megawatt) = 1 million joules per second = unit of electrical power generation
In Trinidad & Tobago the total rate of electricity generation is presently 1100 MW.
The existing steel mill (Arcellor-Mittal) uses 240 MW.
The 125 000 t/yr (tonnes per year) Alutrint aluminium smelter proposed to be built by Chinese at La Brea would use 240 MW. They are stealthily seeking to double output to 250 000 t/yr. This would require 480 MW.
A new power plant proposed for La Brea which has been granted environmental clearance by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) is to have a capacity of 720 MW. This would serve Alutrint and other users.
The Aluminium Company of America (ALCOA) applied for environmental clearance for a 341 000 t/yr smelter at Chatham in South West Trinidad, with a statement that this would require 580 MW. T&T Prime Minister notified public in December 2006 that plans had been suspended for the smelter at Chatham.
The Essar Steel Mill proposed for Claxton Bay and approved by Environmental Management Authority would require 202 MW with space left for an additional plant requiring 240 MW.
What the above shows is that the proposed additional heavy gas based industry would require a doubling of electricity production. In T&T all electricity is generated from combustion of our natural gas. Why should we double gas consumption for heavy polluting and gas consuming industries?
Who is benefiting? Who is losing? There is no transparency in the gas supply deals (EITI rejected, see earlier post). There is no cost-benefit analysis in the Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) decision making process administered by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA).
We should be looking at low energy demanding industry with low environmental impact and high valued outputs.
1 MW (megawatt) = 1 million joules per second = unit of electrical power generation
In Trinidad & Tobago the total rate of electricity generation is presently 1100 MW.
The existing steel mill (Arcellor-Mittal) uses 240 MW.
The 125 000 t/yr (tonnes per year) Alutrint aluminium smelter proposed to be built by Chinese at La Brea would use 240 MW. They are stealthily seeking to double output to 250 000 t/yr. This would require 480 MW.
A new power plant proposed for La Brea which has been granted environmental clearance by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) is to have a capacity of 720 MW. This would serve Alutrint and other users.
The Aluminium Company of America (ALCOA) applied for environmental clearance for a 341 000 t/yr smelter at Chatham in South West Trinidad, with a statement that this would require 580 MW. T&T Prime Minister notified public in December 2006 that plans had been suspended for the smelter at Chatham.
The Essar Steel Mill proposed for Claxton Bay and approved by Environmental Management Authority would require 202 MW with space left for an additional plant requiring 240 MW.
What the above shows is that the proposed additional heavy gas based industry would require a doubling of electricity production. In T&T all electricity is generated from combustion of our natural gas. Why should we double gas consumption for heavy polluting and gas consuming industries?
Who is benefiting? Who is losing? There is no transparency in the gas supply deals (EITI rejected, see earlier post). There is no cost-benefit analysis in the Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) decision making process administered by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA).
We should be looking at low energy demanding industry with low environmental impact and high valued outputs.
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