PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) – Alcoa Inc. said Tuesday it has been asked to look for alternative sites for an aluminum smelter after the Trinidadian government scuttled the project in Cap-de-Ville, a southwest farming village, due to environmental concerns.
Kevin Lowery, an Alcoa spokesperson, said the government suggested several alternative sites but he declined to give details, saying Alcoa is still in talks with Trinidadian authorities.
Trinidadian Prime Minister Patrick Manning announced Sunday that the government had decided against the proposed site in Cap-de-Ville, where farmers and fishermen, citing environmental concerns, had set up a protest camp to block construction.
Alcoa had begun a feasibility study to determine whether to build at Cap-de-Ville and planned to begin construction next year on the $1.5 billion smelter. The company had also met with community groups to address fears about air and water pollution.
Lowery said consideration of other sites could delay the project, which planned to use Trinidad and Tobago's plentiful natural gas to produce 375,000 tons of aluminum annually.