KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Russian aluminum giant UC Rusal is denying the Jamaican energy minister's assertions that the company plans to shut down its last operational bauxite plant on the island.
Jamaica's Energy and Mining Minister Phillip Paulwell has told Parliament that Rusal will close its Ewarton Alumina Refinery in October for one year.
But in a Thursday email, a company spokeswoman said "the information about Ewarton's closing in October this year does not correspond to the reality."
The company acknowledges that it is considering curtailing operations at some facilities, but it says any decisions won't be made until September.
The Russian company shut down two other Jamaican bauxite plants in 2009 after the global economic crisis halted production.
Rusal is the world's largest aluminum producer.