Frequently Asked Questions
What is an aluminium smelter?
In modern primary aluminium smelting plants, aluminium oxide—known as alumina—is dissolved in an electrolytic bath of molten sodium aluminium fluoride within a carbon- or graphite-lined steel container known as a "pot."
An electric current is passed through the pot. Molten aluminium is then deposited at the bottom of the pot and is siphoned off to be cast into ingots, which in turn become feedstock for downstream manufacturing of numerous aluminium-based products.
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How many aluminium smelters does Alcoa operate?
We operate or have major interest in more than 20 smelters worldwide that are located in Australia, Canada, Norway, United States, Italy, Spain, and Brazil. We are also completing construction of a state-of-the-art smelter in Iceland. These smelters are among the safest in the world and are subject to strict environmental performance requirements. Many have earned awards for their environmental, health, and safety performance. They are well-regarded in their respective communities and are an integral part of the social fabric and economies of those communities.
We understand that management of environment, health, and safety requires continuous diligence, and this is what we will bring in our approach here in Trinidad and Tobago—as we do everywhere.
What happens at an anode plant and a casthouse?
Anodes are carbon blocks that are consumed in the smelting process. The manufacture of anodes is considered an upstream process of smelting. In the casthouse, molten aluminium from the smelter is cast into blocks that are known as ingots.
Why does Alcoa want to build a smelter in Trinidad and Tobago?
We share the government's vision for the proposed establishment of a modern aluminium smelter to become the foundation for an integrated aluminium industry in Trinidad and Tobago. This is an industry that will bring well-paid, long-term, stable and skilled employment to the local community.
Trinidad and Tobago's competitive energy costs, the country's strategic positioning between major markets in Europe and North America, and the availability of natural gas as a clean source of energy all make Trinidad and Tobago an ideal location for the establishment of such an industry.
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What will this smelter contribute to the local community?
The proposed smelter project will provide significant employment opportunities to local residents. The two-year construction phase alone will create an estimated 1,500 to 2,500 jobs. We will train and employ about 800 people for operation and maintenance of the facility. It is our goal to have the highest percentage of employees possible from the local region. The successful candidates will have stable, long-term, well-paying jobs.
Our modern aluminium smelter will require trained and skilled operators. We plan to support and work closely with Trinidad and Tobago's training institutions to ensure locals get the skills required by the facility. When we started our operations in São Luís, Brazil, about 65% of our employees were newly trained local people with no previous experience in aluminium production. Today, more than 90% of the workforce at São Luís is drawn from the local community. Achieving similar success in Trinidad will be a top priority.
The proposed smelter project will bring a new level of economic activity to the selected location and surrounding communities, creating jobs, educational and training opportunities, and substantial business prospects for existing and future service industries throughout the area. The project will also contribute to the development of community facilities, such as roads, schools, hospitals, and sporting and cultural venues.
In terms of overall economic benefits from the project, the anticipated annual contribution to the Trinidad and Tobago economy when the smelter is operational will approach US$100 million per year. This does not include any assessment of the additional value that accrues to a national economy from the introduction of a new, modern industry, with its consequential influence on infrastructure, skills development, economic diversification, community support and development, and the infusion of new life into existing service industries.
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What sustainable development programs are planned for Trinidad and Tobago?
We will consult widely to help us achieve sustainable development through balancing the economic, social, and environmental aspects of the project.
Below are links that provide information on our various sustainability programs, reports, and our Iceland Sustainability Initiative. In Iceland, we are nearing completion of a smelter that will be similar to the one we would propose to build and operate in Trinidad.
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Will there be any social investment programs?
Yes. Some examples of programs are described in our case studies.
How will we be consulted?
We intend to be good neighbours. If a suitable site is identified, then local and regional community members will be contacted. Information about the process will be included in letters, media releases, and public meetings. When an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment commences, it will include a formal consultation process that includes public meetings.
Currently, you can contact us directly via email.
What about the environmental effects of an aluminium smelter?
The smelter proposed for Trinidad and Tobago will be designed to achieve world-class performance standards to protect human health and the environment, such as those recognized by the United States, Europe, Australia, the World Bank, and World Health Organisation (WHO). The plant design will also allow it to comply fully with regulatory requirements for pollution prevention and control to be made under the Environmental Management Act #3 of 2000 when these rules (currently in draft) are put into law. Initial air modelling results show that the site is suitable for an aluminium smelter.
The plant design includes highly efficient air emission collection and handling systems that, in conjunction with closely monitored work practices and adequate buffer zone, will enable all emissions to be effectively managed and the health of employees within the plant, the community outside the plant, and the surrounding environment to be properly protected.
We will also undertake a comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessment to ensure that we can build and operate this smelter safely, without damage to the surrounding environment. Trinidad and Tobago law requires that the community be consulted extensively during this process, which matches our own commitment.
The complex will combine state-of-the-art aluminium production technology, innovative community land use, and respect for the natural environment.
In São Luís, Brazil, our Alumar smelter operates side-by-side with an environmental park. The park sits on 1,800 hectares of mangroves, swamps, and woodlands. It's a natural habitat where dozens of birds, reptiles, mammals, and endangered species thrive. The park has helped to re-establish fish and wildlife in the area, both of which were nearly depleted before the park's creation. Today, the park is an important source of food and income for many São Luís residents.
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What about the effect of fluorides on the community?
Safe and environmentally responsible management of all the materials that we use and produce is critically important to us. Sodium aluminium fluoride is an essential raw material in the smelting process, and the process does generate fluoride emissions. For these economic and environmental reasons—as well as for our aspiration to be the best company in the world—we place heavy emphasis on effectively recovering and managing fluoride emissions well.
Modern smelters like the one we propose to build in Trinidad and Tobago are designed to capture and recycle more than 98% of all fluoride emissions. In addition, we will ensure that there is adequate set-back between the smelter and the community (i.e., a buffer zone).
Typically, Alcoa-managed smelters around the world outperform the stringent fluoride emission management limits imposed on them by regulatory agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ambient air quality will be monitored at the smelter's boundaries and publicly reported. The monitoring itself will also be open to public scrutiny.
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What about other air emissions?
Air quality is, of course, a critically important issue anywhere in the world. Modern smelter design takes into account local weather and wind patterns, and accurate computer modelling predicts air quality under local conditions before the smelter is built.
Operating licenses granted by local governments typically set stringent air quality standards that must be met. We have excellent technology, systems, and work practices to control emissions and measure their effect around the smelter.
Continuous monitoring of air quality when the smelter is operational—with results being reported to the community and the local environmental authorities—enables the community to see how the smelter is performing against those air quality standards.
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How will spent pot lining be treated?
Extensive research over many years, coupled with modern technology and work practices, is now enabling spent pot lining (SPL)—once dismissed as intractable and a hazardous waste—to be processed and converted into valuable raw material and feedstock for use in the manufacture of cement and steel.
While it is common knowledge that the smelting process produces SPL, we can assure the people of Trinidad and Tobago that the material will not be landfilled in the country.
There are a number of approved and licensed processes available for the productive use of spent pot lining in the areas in which we operate. For example, in Brazil, the material is safely recycled and used throughout the cement industry. We utilise similar processes in other highly regulated environments in Canada and Australia, and we have licensed the process for use in the U.S. Our current plan is to ship our Trinidad SPL to our processing facility in Gum Springs, Arkansas. This is a specialised treatment facility, owned and operated by Alcoa, and properly licensed and regulated. It is a permitted treatment, storage, and disposal facility under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Resource Conservation & Recovery Act.
This action is in keeping with our commitment to adhere to the strictest environmental standards and laws as well as the Basel Convention, which enables properly permitted and safely managed transportation of such materials.
Additional reading:
What effect could the smelter have on community water supplies?
It will have none. We have said publicly that hazardous waste from the smelter (in the form of spent pot lining) will not be landfilled in Trinidad. Given this, SPL will not be a source of potential groundwater or aquifer pollution. It will also still be safe to collect and use rainwater in the area near the smelter plant.
As far as discharges of water are concerned, as with any emissions, the intention is to discharge as little water as possible. Any water discharges from the facility will meet necessary quality standards, the water quality will be monitored, and the data associated with this monitoring will be made available to the public.
What about other waste products?
Alcoa has set a worldwide goal to reduce solid waste being sent to landfills from existing facilities by 50% by year 2007. There are four effective means of achieving this: reducing the volume of raw materials consumed; avoiding the creation of waste; recycling waste within the facility; and recycling waste in beneficial processes outside the facility. Using this approach, some facilities have already reduced their general solid waste to almost zero.
At the end of 2005, we exceeded the goal. By building on this global experience as we design new facilities, and by working with customers and suppliers, it is possible to approach zero solid-waste-to-landfills from a properly managed modern plant.
What are a smelter's effects on public health?
There will be none. The safety and health of the people in our plant communities, as well as the protection of the environment beyond the walls of our facilities, remain important to Alcoa.
For the proposed smelter in Trinidad and Tobago, we will follow environmental, health, and safety standards comparable to those applied in highly regulated countries, such as the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Brazil, where we have operated successfully for many years. The standards set for air and water quality are designed to be protective of the health of the weakest and most frail members of the community: the aged, the very young, and the sick. There are, therefore, very strong levels of assurance that facilities meeting or outperforming those standards are operating safely.
It is becoming increasingly common for baseline health studies to be undertaken before major new developments take place, and we would support such a study in Trinidad and Tobago.
Because of our commitment to open communication and full transparency during this project, details of the environmental, health, and safety issues arising from the smelting process, the technology and work practices required to manage them safely, and contingency plans for managing any breakdowns in the system will be fully canvassed during the public Environmental and Social Impact Assessment.
It should also be noted that many of our locations around the world conduct free community health screenings. In addition, safe and healthy children and families is an area of excellence for Alcoa Foundation, which provides millions of dollars to health and safety programs worldwide each year.
What is the risk of increased cancer rates in the community?
There is no increased risk. Community health will be protected. One of the latest independent studies of employee health in the aluminium industry (the Healthwise study in Australia) indicates the following:
- Overall, there were no more newly diagnosed cases of cancer than would have been expected on the basis of general population rates during the study period 1983 to 2002.
- The mortality rates for all four major causes of death (cancer, circulatory disease, respiratory disease, and injury/trauma) were no higher than for the general population.
- The mortality rate for all causes combined was significantly less than for the general population.
Additional information about the findings can be found on the Western Australian Department of Health website.
How will employee health be protected?
Alcoa locations are more than 20 times safer than the U.S. industry average. Locally, our Tembladora location in Carenage has recorded only one lost workday injury in more than 12 years.
All of our locations adhere to U.S. OSHA standards and regulations, regardless of whether these standards exist in some countries. For example, our Tembladora Transfer Station operates under U.S. OSHA standards and regulations.
In 2006, our employees worldwide achieved a lost workday rate of 0.07. That's the number of work-related injuries or illnesses resulting in a lost workday per 200,000 hours worked. The U.S. average for 2005, the most recent year available, was 1.5—that's over 20 times more than Alcoa's worldwide result.
Our goal is to ensure that every location has access to capable, well-credentialed health care providers to assist in effective implementation of our health standards and meet our established target of 100% completion of all required annual medical evaluations for our employees. Additional information on our occupational health programs can be found in the health and safety section of the Alcoa website.
What will happen if there is an emergency?
We operate our smelters under strict safety rules designed to prevent emergencies from happening or to swiftly correct them if they do occur. Every Alcoa smelter has its own well-trained emergency response team, and we work with local authorities to ensure that any emergency can be handled promptly and professionally. In Trinidad and Tobago, we would be required by law to integrate our emergency response systems with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.
Generally, though, because of the nature of the smelting process, the equipment we use, and the level of training that we provide, it would be rare for any emergency event in an aluminium smelter to create cause for concern beyond the boundary of the plant itself.
Strict operating conditions governing handling of materials and emissions would be imposed on the smelter by the Environmental Management Authority's Certificate of Environmental Clearance, and the smelter would have to report environmental, health, and safety performance to the EMA and to the community. All this should offer a high level of confidence that an Alcoa aluminium facility will be a valuable and safe addition to the local community.
How will Alcoa's presence contribute to community development and sustainability?
Each year, Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation together donate millions of dollars in community investment grants in Alcoa communities worldwide. In addition, our employees volunteer their efforts to improve the quality of life in their individual communities.
In Jamaica, for example, we have worked to help increase local employment through a skills registration databank, an employment committee, partnerships with local training agencies, and the establishment of a training institute. More than 3,000 Jamaicans have completed or are in training due to our efforts.
Other activities we have undertaken or sponsored in Jamaica include:
- School nutrition program
- Funding for a doctor and a nurse at a health centre
- Potable water supply to communities
- Community health fairs
- Donation of kidney dialysis machines
- Fishing village restoration and training project
- Books for schools project
- Summer camp and summer employment program
- Sports sponsorship (football, netball, track)
- Infrastructure (roads, schools, police stations, health centre)
- Tourism train, called the Clarendon Express, to accelerate sustainable socio-economic and environmental development on Jamaica's south coast and in communities close to Alcoa operations
Although we have had a presence in Iceland only since 2004, we have already established partnerships to improve public transportation, fund an emergency services team, fund hospital equipment, provide professional development for police, and create other vocational training initiatives.
We will bring this same commitment to community and sustainability to Trinidad and Tobago.
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Aluminum Smelting Technical Article
In-depth technical discussion of the principles of smelting, including chemical reactions and process details.
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