(Jamaica Gleaner) Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell has welcomed news that Russian aluminium giant UC Rusal has not made a decision to close its Ewarton bauxite plant in St Catherine.
In a statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Paulwell had announced that UC Rusal “verbally” informed him that it had made the decision to close the Ewarton plant later this year for one year.
However, in an Associated Press (AP) story yesterday, the company is quoted as saying: “The information about Ewarton’s closing in October this year does not correspond to the reality.”
In the AP article, the company acknowledged that it was considering curtailing operations at some facilities, but noted that no decision would be made until September.
Paulwell told The Gleaner yesterday that the local chief executive officer for UC Rusal had reported the planned closure of the Ewarton plant in October.
He said the disclosure was made in a meeting involving himself, the permanent secretary and the head of the Jamaica Bauxite Institute and the commissioner of mines.
“If they are changing the position, that is good news,” he said.
UC Rusal had closed two other local plants in 2009 after it was hit by the effects of the global economic meltdown.
