NAIN, St Elizabeth — Political representatives say they are still waiting to hear when the long-proposed modernisation of the Jiuquan Iron and Steel Company (JISCO) Alpart bauxite refinery at Nain will begin.

There are also concerns that the proposal to mine nearly 700 acres of land across 11 communities near Santa Cruz in the Essex Valley region needs greater consultation and inclusion of residents and community leaders.

Councillor Layton Smith (Myersville Division, People’s National Party) and Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth South Eastern Frank Witter say they are concerned about the delay in modernising the plant, which has been closed since 2019.

Smith told the Jamaica Observer that he believes the Government should seek answers from JISCO/Alpart as to their timeline for the modernisation to begin.

“The concern that I am having is that nobody knows what is happening at Alpart. The Government is tight-lipped. Alpart’s management is tight-lipped. Every month you hear a different date and they are talking about how modernisation is supposed to start and [yet] nothing starts. The Government is not coming out and saying anything. The minister of mining is not coming out and saying anything,” he said.

“The Government needs to come out and hear from the company. When will this start?” he asked.

“From 2019 we have been hearing this and it is 2022 now and nobody can tell us anything as to what is happening,” he lamented.

Witter, who is a member of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party, said he is aware that the company has brought in equipment and material to commence the modernisation.

“My concern is the delay in the reopening. Having spoken with them I know they are prepared to do the modernisation; they have brought in a lot of equipment and material. I know that it will be forthcoming [but] in terms of when, I am not sure,” he said.

He added that he will be seeking a meeting with the company’s operations manager “to hear exactly where they are now”.

JISCO/Alpart has remained tight-lipped about when the modernisation will start as the company’s mining consultant declined to comment when asked by Sunday Finance.

Speaking virtually during a public consultation at St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) last month, deputy general manager at JISCO/Alpart Sun Jing said the company is seeking to secure about 15 million dry metric tonnes of bauxite in the area referred to as the Outer Valley.

He reiterated his company’s intention to modernise the refinery in Nain, which has been closed since 2019, to become “one of the most efficient and productive alumina plants in the world”.

He said the plan was to have started the modernisation of the refinery in 2020 but that was affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“We have not been idle. We have taken this period to revise our modernisation plans, including working with the Government of Jamaica to identify the additional bauxite resources that will enable us to expand the capacity of our refinery production from 1.65 million tonnes of alumina annually to 2 million tonnes annually,” he said.

He said it is estimated that the modernisation will be at a capital cost of US$1 billion over five years.

“One thousand jobs will be provided during the modernisation phase and, after completion, Alpart will provide at least 500 full-time direct jobs as well as indirect opportunities for over 500 jobs in the neighbouring communities,” he said.

He said the company will need 7.5 million dry metric tonnes of bauxite annually.

However, three councillors are calling on the bauxite company to revisit its consultation arrangement following the moderately attended meeting at STETHS.

Among the areas being proposed for mining are Pepper, Long Hill, Friendship, Fellowship, Southampton, Northampton, Goshen, Gilnock, Mitcham, Peru Pen and just outside Santa Cruz.

Smith said he is against mining in some of the communities.

“Their consultation meeting was not advertised enough for people living in the areas where they are going to do the mining to come out and have dialogue and ask questions, including myself,” he said.

“I am totally against it in some of the areas that they are going to mine, because how can you be mining some parts of Santa Cruz and Goshen and you don’t have proper dialogue with the citizens?” he questioned.

He accused the bauxite industry of not following through on plans of land restoration.

“Over the years mining has damaged us because the plan is that when they mine out these lands they are supposed to reclaim it back to a level so that you can do farming or people can live on it. They have not been doing that properly,” he said.

“There are so many holes left within even my division in the Myersville and New Village area that were mined out for years and nothing has been done to reclaim them back in the right and proper way,” he charged.

He cautioned that if enough consultation is not done with residents there might be protests on the horizon.

“It is not just we as the councillors, but the citizens are upset about it and they have spoken to me. They haven’t started any physical protest as yet but it will be coming if they don’t have proper dialogue,” he warned.

Councillor Christopher Williams (Santa Cruz Division, Jamaica Labour Party) is calling on JISCO/Alpart to involve the municipal corporation.

“The corporation still has a role to play in terms of creating the atmosphere for the necessary dialogue to take place with residents of these communities who are nearby or fall within the boundaries where these mining will take place,” he said.

Councillor Donovan Pagon (Braes River Division, People’s National Party) said greater consultation is needed.

“Most of the lands that they are thinking of, people do farming on them…. They need to meet with the citizens,” he said.

“Which roads are they going to use to transport the bauxite to the plant?” he asked.

Witter, for his part, said JISCO/Alpart will be needing areas for mining once the plant resumes operation.

“Once they start the modernisation, they are going to be needing those areas for mining,” he said.