Talks are underway for the construction of a nuclear power plant and an aluminium smelter in Suriname.
Although a report in the de Ware Tijd (dWT) English Bulletin said construction of the nuclear powered aluminium smelter would begin in the second half of the year, Suriname’s Foreign Affairs Minister Lygia Kraag-Keteldijk explained yesterday that consultations were necessary. As a result, discussions were already underway with key stakeholders to determine whether the country was ready to become member of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “I started discussions with several stakeholders, including the different ministries, the business community and others to sound out whether Suriname is ready to become member of the IAEA,” she is quoted as saying in a Caribbean Net News (CNetNews) report. “I don’t want to take the decision all by myself,” she added.
Suriname’s ambassador Jules Ramlakhan also said that the authorities had to look into different aspects, including defence, health and environmental issues in order to formulate a policy regarding nuclear energy and technology in Suriname.
According to Bisram Chanderbosh, President of Surinam Industrial Engineer-ing and Vehicle Services, which developed the project, the groundbreaking ceremony for the smelter and power plant in Groot Chatillon is scheduled for August this year. Construction of the facilities will take three years, with an investment of US$3M from investors in Suriname, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Germany. “The energy that we will produce is exclusively for industrial purposes and not for common households,” Chanderbosh said in the CNetNews report. Nuclear fuel for the Simplified Gas Cooled Reactor (SGR) would be supplied by companies in Italy, Japan, South Africa, France and China.
Chanderbosh also said concerns over possible environmental risk would also be dealt with. He noted that suppliers would collect the waste every three years, while there would be an advanced monitoring system in place to track delivery of the fuel and collection of the waste.
dWT said the factory would be built at Groot Chatillon opposite Paranam, some 20 miles south of Paramaribo, where the Suriname Alumina Company (Suralco) has a refinery.
dWT explained that the financing of the multi-million dollar project was assured but Suriname’s membership in the IAEA was required. Currently Belize and Jamaica are the only Caricom nations that are members of the IAEA.
Once in operation, the factory is expected to produce especially ingots (aluminium blocks), aluminium foil and high voltage wires. The smelter will consist of several production units, each with a capacity of 250,000 tonnes a year. The project is expected to create about 1,000 to 1,500 jobs.
Additionally, with a ceramics factory and wood processing companies connected to the project, a work force of up to 3,000 will be necessary.
Chanderbosh said alumina would be imported if necessary, but talks had already been held with Suralco and BHP Billiton to supply the alumina to the factory. Suralco, which is owned by Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals (a global alliance between Alcoa and Alumina Ltd) and Billiton are the two largest bauxite mining companies in Suriname. Alcoa has had its presence in Suriname since 1916. Suralco announced in February 2005 that it had completed the expansion of its aluminium refinery at Paranam. Suralco and an affiliate of BHP Billiton own 55% and 45% respectively of the Paranam facility.
