|
On this page News and Recent ItemsAluminum Smelter for Port Alberni Opinion Links and Documents Aluminum Price History Contacts and More Information Alberni Valley Aluminum Project Aluminum smelter findings are favourable
Spokane group eyes aluminum venture Aluminum Smelter for Port Alberni Then Premier Ujjal Dosanjh came to Port Alberni on November 15, 2000 to announce a pre-feasibility study for an aluminum smelter to be located just south of town. The full "pre-feasibility" study will cost about $1.3 million. Of the $937 budgeted to August 31, 2001, the City of Port Alberni is in for $200,000, the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District ($200K), the Port Alberni Regional Port Authority ($300K), HRDC ($77K), the Province of BC ($88K), and the federal government ($57K) Economic Development Commission. That's a lot of taxpayer money foolishly wasted on some Spokane opportunists. The company proposing the project is KTD LLC of Spokane, Washington. David Krakoff is the president of KTD. After Krakoff and the other principles in KTD were freed up as part of a restructuring exercise at Kaiser Aluminum in Spokane, they briefly reconstituted themselves as KAI Technology, then emerged as KTD. It is a company without a history, without a track record, without capital, and without work. Good thing for them that Port Alberni was there when they needed a project. The CBC news release at the time called this "a pre-feasibility study on the possibility of building an aluminum smelter." This study is a make-work project for KTD, and at the time of its announcement, was a "make votes" exercise for both provincial and federal candidates. In the context of BC Hydro and power generation, aluminum smelters require awesome amounts of electricity. The project proposed for Port Alberni, 650 MW would be needed. None of BC Hydro's planning includes a scenario for power supply on this scale for new industrial purposes. PAGP was not being proposed with an aluminum smelter in mind, but the issue must not be forgotton. The natural gas electricity strategy and aluminum smelters were both Glen Clark visions. Gordon Campbell appears to want to continue with these absurd projects. There is a lot of idled aluminum smelting capacity in the world. The price of electricity and the price of aluminum are meeting at a point where making aluminum is not cost-justified. Smelting operations with big electricity contracts are finding it more profitable to sell that electricity, than to make aluminum. Communities hard hit for revenue and jobs are such easy marks for opportunists, however - whether they are politicians looking for easy votes, or redundant aluminum executives looking for easy work. The only jobs that Port Alberni is likely to see will be con jobs and a lot of hype. Low priced electricity for industry was the carrot that Glen Clark dangled to smelter builders. "Power for Jobs" he called it. What sort of operating loss would Hydro have to carry if they were forced to sell this power to an aluminum smelter at the Clark smelter discount? The Alberni-Clayoquot project website says "Preliminary indications have been given by the B.C. government that adequate power will be provided at competitive rates." The feasibility study is complete, as of August 2001, and (no surprise) Port Alberni is the lucky winnah! The executive summary concludes Port Alberni is a "good site for a smelter because of its geographic location on the Pacific Rim in a country with zero political risk." The only thing needed now, is power, and investors. Executive Summary TOPOpinion November 16, 2000 You May Already Have Won An Aluminum Smelter
Nov 16, 2000 An Aluminum Smelter? On Vancouver Island?
Nov 16, 2000 Emperor Dosanjh Parades His New Clothes
Nov 18, 2000 Links and Documents Alberni Valley Aluminum Project Bechtel/Alcan Alma Quebec Smelter Project About Aluminum Smelting Aluminum prices to Oct 1, 2002 Contacts and More Information Alberni Environmental Coalition Comments? Do you have information to share? For more information, MLA addresses, etc: Contacts |
