MINISTER of Transport and Mining Mike Henry says that Chinese conglomerate, Jiguan Iron and Steel Company (JISCo), should complete its takeover of the Alpart plant in Nain, St Elizabeth, by November.

He said that JISCo will utilise the services of approximately 200 Chinese personnel at the site to carry out major processing modification and capacity upgrading, for whom the Government will consider short-term work permits.

However, he assured the country that the company will continue employing the existing Alpart staff, and recruit former and available employees, as well.

“Thus, approximately 700 jobs are to be created as early as October to November this year,” the minister told journalists at a press conference on Thursday.

He said that the project will cost some US$2 billion, and should eventually create 3,000 new jobs within five years.

Henry also stated that major processing modification and capacity upgrading work will be carried out on the plant, and the total first-phase investment will be up to US$220 million.

He also gave an assurance that the Government and JISCO will be “paying great attention to the environment and its protection” which, he noted, are critical in the project construction and production.

He said that the modification and capacity upgrade construction work should last from December 2016 to December 2017.

“JISCO will have to strictly abide by the relevant laws, regulations and order from the Jamaican Government, regarding labour, health, safety and the environment,” Henry said.

His Cabinet colleague, Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Dr Andrew Wheatley told the briefing that there would be a total modification and upgrading of the plant.

He said that this will require the training of workers to operate within the changed environment, and those individuals who are coming to assist in the upgrading of the plant must have skill sets that are not locally available.

Both Henry and Wheatley travelled to China for the signing of the agreement with JISCO. Former Minister of Mining Phillip Paulwell, who was a guest of JISCO at the time of the signing, was severely criticised by Henry for issuing a premature release from China announcing the agreement.

Wheatley said Thursday that JISCO has an integrated approach to the development which was more than just opening the plant, as it would also embrace the development of the surrounding communities.

“We saw that in China, and agriculture is the mainstay of the surrounding communities in south-east St Elizabeth, and they are putting in place a plan where the communities will benefit, especially as it relates to the water issue,” he added.

He said, in pursuit of that, JISCO will be seeking to upgrade the availability of water for farming in the surrounding communities.