UC Rusal to re-open Ewarton alumina refinery

April 13th, 2010
There is good news for Jamaica's struggling mining sector on Monday morning with Russian aluminium giant UC Rusal announcing that it will re-open one of its local plants on June One.
The company announced on Monday that it will restart the Ewarton alumina refinery which is owned by its joint venture with the Jamaican Government.
The plant was shut down in March last year as part of cost reduction measures.
Last month, UC Rusal said it was planning to restart one area of its local operations by this summer but did not give specifics.
This announcement is a glimmer of hope for the local bauxite/alumina sector which has been hit hard by the closure of refineries due to the downturn in the demand for aluminium on the world market.
With signs that that recession is easing local stakeholders are keeping their fingers crossed that other refineries will resume operations.