Energy Minister, Dr. Andrew Wheatley, says it’s unlikely a coal-fired plant will be used at the Alpart Bauxite plant in Nain, St. Elizabeth.
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Environmentalists are raised concerns about the impact a coal-fired plant could have on human health and the environment.
They’ve raised concerns about the potential negative impacts of the various greenhouse gases discharged into the atmosphere by coal-fired plants.
They’ve also highlighted other pollutants which would be released into the atmosphere.
While not entirely ruling out the use of coal at Alpart, Dr. Wheatley says any such decision would be thoroughly vetted by the government.
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Alpart was successfully acquired by a Chinese-based firm, Jiuquan Iron and Steel, JISCO.
The initial sale of Alpart to JISCO was announced in July. The plant is expected to be fully operational within the next two years.
The government is banking on it to provide thousands of jobs.
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