HENRY… visited the Alpart/JISCO plant last Thursday (Photo: JIS)
More than 500 jobs have been added to the workforce at Alpart/JISCO Alumina Refinery in Nain, St Elizabeth, and the number is expected to climb to over 700 by the time the plant reopens on June 20, according to the Ministry of Mining and Transport.
A news release from the ministry on the weekend said that once the plant becomes fully operational, JISCO “could be spending approximately $171 million monthly on salaries”. Last November Chinese firm Jiuquan Iron and Steel (JISCO) bought Russian company Rusal’s stake in Alpart for US$299 million.
The refinery had been mothballed since early 2009 in the aftermath of a global financial meltdown, with a nosedive in metal prices even as energy costs stayed high at that time.
Last Thursday, Mining Minister Lester “Mike” Henry visited the plant to get a first-hand view of the preparatory activities for the reopening, which, the ministry said, is “creating a buzz in the once sleepy rural township and its surroundings”. Henry’s visit, the ministry said, was to ensure that all the critical and necessary activities to make the deadline a reality are met.
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