Trinidad's Environmental Management Authority (EMA) has given clearance to Alutrint for construction of a smelter plant at the Union Industrial Estate in la Brea.

EMA managing director Dr. Dave McIntosh told a news conference late Monday that a Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) had been approved for Alutrint, a joint venture between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela, to develop a 125,000 tonne per year aluminum smelter.

But he told reporters that the decision was based on predictions and estimates, as the environmental impact of the smelter cannot be accurately determined since the plant is not yet operational.

Stringent standards

McIntosh said it was now up to Alutrint to stay within the stringent standards with regards to air and water quality, noise, soil quality and ecology of the area and the environs.

"The task the EMA will now face as we move forward with this application is one of monitoring and understanding what the baseline conditions are, so we can examine any shifts in terms of the human health of the area or impacts on vegetation and wildlife," said the environmental regulator.

Waste export

The EMA said it was also satisfied that the company had made arrangements to export hazardous waste material to a facility in Arkansas, in the United States.

McIntosh told reporters that it had taken more than a year to grant the CEC despite the Patrick Manning Government's apparent rush to get the project off the ground.

Energy Minister Dr. Lenny Saith said last week that construction of the plant would begin within a month.

The U.S.-based aluminum company, Alcoa, has also submitted a request for clearance for a similar plant. McIntosh said that matter was still before EMA.

- CMC