Alpart alumina refinery- technical and equipment auditor at work

A technical and equipment infrastructure review of the alumina refinery, Rusal Alpart Jamaica, is being conducted as part of pre-preparatory work for the plant’s scheduled reopening in December 2016.

Audit representatives from UC Rusal's Moscow office, and elsewhere in Europe and Australia are conducting the audit, which started on October 8 and is expected to end later this week. The areas being probed include the powerhouse and refinery operating areas.

Alpart, Jamaica’s largest alumina refinery, which is located at Nain in South East St Elizabeth close to the border with Southern Manchester, was shut down in May 2009 at the height of a global economic crisis which caused metal prices to plummet.

More than 900 people lost their jobs while hundreds more had been shed in the months leading up to the closure. At the national level, the closure of Alpart and a near-collapse of the total bauxite-alumina sector triggered massive economic dislocation, and was a significant contributor to the then Government’s decision to return to multi-lateral lender International Monetary Fund for support.

In January, Alpart resumed bauxite-mining operations in areas relatively close to the plant. And last month the plant began exporting bauxite as part of the build-up to next year’s reopening.

Jamaica Government as well as Alpart officials have said the export of raw bauxite will be replaced by alumina when the plant resumes alumina refining.

Alpart says that since the resumption of mining more than 300 people have been employed.