Jamaican government official casts doubt on Windalco reopening

A senior mining ministry official has spurred doubts on prospects for the reopening of the stalled Windalco Kirkvine alumina plant in Manchester, saying it is being scrapped for parts.

Oral Rainford, a principal director in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy, and Mining, told an audience in Mandeville late Wednesday that it was his understanding that parts were being removed from Kirkvine to the active Windalco Ewarton alumina plant in St Catherine.

“It does appear that the facility (Kirkvine) is being actively scrapped, so to speak, meaning that the parts are being taken to Ewarton; so it is being cannibalised,” Rainford told the forum organised as part of Minerals Week activities at the Golf View Hotel.

“I don't know if there are active plans to replace these parts, but that is what is happening. When I see something like that... it tells me that the plan may not be to facilitate a reopening,” Rainford said.

However, when contacted by the Jamaica Observer, Russian aluminium giant UC Rusal, owners of the Windalco plants, Kirkvine and Ewarton, as well as the mothballed Alpart alumina plant in St Elizabeth, said it remained committed “to restarting the Kirkvine Works refinery in Manchester, Jamaica”.

Rusal, through its Jamaica office, confirmed whenever there is a shutdown and restart of any of its facilities, there is always a focused and structured plan in place. “As part of that plan, the Kirkvine plant has been executing comprehensive asset preservation and mothballing activities to ensure its readiness for a restart program.”

UC Rusal, the world’s largest aluminium producers, said then that it “expects that the natural gas supplies to the three plants will begin in 2016”.

Ministry spokeswoman Olivia Campbell told the Observer that the “last official word” reaching the ministry from UC Rusal was that Kirkvine and Alpart were in line to be reopened in 2016.