23 AUGUST 2012watertowndailytimes.com
Alcoa applies for modernization permits for its Massena plants
Edited by : AL CIRCLE
2 min read
Alcoa has applied for the environmental permits required to modernize its Massena operations.
The three permits will regulate air and water pollution from Massena’s two aluminum plants should Alcoa decide to modernize them. The project is still proposed; Alcoa is lining up the necessary permits in case it decides to modernize in the future, according to state Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman Stephen W. Litwhiler.
Alcoa’s board of directors ultimately will decide whether to commit to the modernization by March 31. The permits incorporate the changes Alcoa would make if it decided to modernize, company spokeswoman Sonya Elam Harden said.
“The modernization would upgrade facilities for more efficient, safer and environmentally-friendly operation,” she said in an email. “The new permits are needed prior to beginning a modernization of the plant.”
Local staff is using the time between now and March 31 to hammer out details and make sure Massena is as attractive as possible to corporate leadership. Alcoa’s commitment to modernization could ensure the company’s future here for decades to come.
To continue receiving low-cost hydro power from the New York Power Authority, Alcoa must invest at least $600 million in the modernized plant. The project will cost more than that, plant manager John D. Martin said previously.
If approved, construction would begin by June, according to Alcoa’s website. The project will include construction of a new aluminum production line at the East plant and upgrades to the West plant.
The project will result in net decreases in emissions of sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, total fluoride, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide, Mr. Litwhiler said in a statement Wednesday. Alcoa already has environmental permits for its existing facilities, but needs to modify them if it modernizes its Massena operations.
The permits are draft proposals and have not been finalized; the public can submit comments to DEC’s Watertown office through Sept. 21, Mr. Litwhiler said. The speed at which the DEC would issue the permits would depend on the public comment received.
“If there’s not substantive comment, they can be issued after the comment period,” Mr. Litwhiler said.
The three permits will regulate air and water pollution from Massena’s two aluminum plants should Alcoa decide to modernize them. The project is still proposed; Alcoa is lining up the necessary permits in case it decides to modernize in the future, according to state Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman Stephen W. Litwhiler.
Alcoa’s board of directors ultimately will decide whether to commit to the modernization by March 31. The permits incorporate the changes Alcoa would make if it decided to modernize, company spokeswoman Sonya Elam Harden said.
“The modernization would upgrade facilities for more efficient, safer and environmentally-friendly operation,” she said in an email. “The new permits are needed prior to beginning a modernization of the plant.”
Local staff is using the time between now and March 31 to hammer out details and make sure Massena is as attractive as possible to corporate leadership. Alcoa’s commitment to modernization could ensure the company’s future here for decades to come.
To continue receiving low-cost hydro power from the New York Power Authority, Alcoa must invest at least $600 million in the modernized plant. The project will cost more than that, plant manager John D. Martin said previously.
If approved, construction would begin by June, according to Alcoa’s website. The project will include construction of a new aluminum production line at the East plant and upgrades to the West plant.
The project will result in net decreases in emissions of sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, total fluoride, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide, Mr. Litwhiler said in a statement Wednesday. Alcoa already has environmental permits for its existing facilities, but needs to modify them if it modernizes its Massena operations.
The permits are draft proposals and have not been finalized; the public can submit comments to DEC’s Watertown office through Sept. 21, Mr. Litwhiler said. The speed at which the DEC would issue the permits would depend on the public comment received.
“If there’s not substantive comment, they can be issued after the comment period,” Mr. Litwhiler said.
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