The Chinese owners of the Alpart alumina refinery have committed to a US$490-million first phase of a major modernisation programme, with construction targeted to begin before the end of this year and an official launch of the revamped facility before June 2027.Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Minister Floyd Green made the announcement yesterday in a statement to the House of Representatives, following an official visit to China, where he met with executives of Jiuquan Iron and Steel Group (JISCO), the state-owned company that owns the St Elizabeth refinery.Green said JISCO had formally confirmed to him that it would proceed with a two-phase redevelopment programme designed to restore Alpart as a modern, competitive alumina refinery capable of producing approximately two million tonnes of alumina annually.Under the plan, the first phase will restore production capacity to one million tonnes per year through a US$490-million investment, and a second phase will double output to two million tonnes annually.The minister said the company intends to satisfy all the necessary preconditions to allow construction activities to begin before the end of 2026, with the objective of officially launching the upgraded refinery before June 2027.“This Government made a commitment to the people of Jamaica that we would pursue every avenue to see Alpart return to operation,” Green told Parliament. “We went to China, we engaged the decision-makers, we secured a clear path forward, and we are closer than ever to seeing Alpart reopen and once again drive growth, jobs, and opportunity for our people.”According to Green, the first phase will include the modernisation of major operational systems, upgrades to plant infrastructure, redevelopment of power-generation facilities, the introduction of dry-stacking technology for residue management, and the rehabilitation of critical rail and port infrastructure.The project will also feature a five-megawatt photovoltaic and energy-storage hybrid system, which the company intends to position as a low-carbon demonstration project.Rehabilitation of the hurricane-damaged Port Kaiser also forms part of the redevelopment plan.Green said the commitments followed high-level meetings with JISCO’s Board of Directors and officials in Gansu Province, where the company is based.He noted that because JISCO is a state-owned enterprise under the Gansu provincial government, engagement with provincial authorities was essential to advancing the project.FACILITATING TIMELY REOPENINGDuring those discussions, Green said the governor of Gansu Province assured the Jamaican delegation that efforts would be made to facilitate Alpart’s timely reopening and encouraged JISCO to move expeditiously with the modernisation programme.The minister said work had already begun in some areas, with JISCO investing approximately US$8 million in rehabilitation equipment, including two large bulldozers that arrived in Jamaica in May and which are now being used to accelerate the reclamation of mined-out lands.Progress has also been made in addressing long-standing land-title issues affecting relocated residents.According to Green, JISCO advised that about 1,233 land titles are required, with roughly 350 already completed and another 56 expected to be finalised this year.The company also indicated that it is pursuing access to approximately 149 million tonnes of bauxite reserves to support the refinery’s long-term viability.Alpart has remained idle since 2019 after operations were suspended amid changing global market conditions and challenges facing the alumina industry.Green noted that JISCO acquired the refinery in 2017 and invested approximately US$360 million to restart operations, creating employment for about 1,000 Jamaicans before production was again halted two years later.He said the reopening of Alpart remains critical to the economies of communities across St Elizabeth and southern Manchester, where generations of workers, contractors, transport operators, farmers, and small businesses have depended on the refinery’s operations.editorial@gleanerjm.com