Bauxite refinery to be constructed in Tema

Tema, Aug. 21, GNA - Feasibility studies have been completed for the construction of bauxite refinery plant in Tema for the production of alumina as part of measures to integrate the aluminium industry. Ghana currently exports bauxite to the Western countries where it is refined into alumina which the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) then buys and imports into the country as a raw material for the production. Mr. Emmanuel Lartey, Managing Director of the plant revealed this when he led the Convention People's Party (CPP) Presidential Candidate, Dr Paa Kwesi Ndoum to tour the plant. Mr. Lartey said the plant, when constructed would enable Ghana to add value to its bauxite deposits as well as save money spent on the importation of alumina.

He said VALCO needs 400,000 metric tonnes of alumina to produce 200,000 metric tonnes of aluminium from the five plants annually to feed the country's aluminium industries.

The Managing Director stated that it was the wish of VALCO that the country would control the entire process of producing aluminium consumer products which include the mining of bauxite, its refining into alumina, aluminium and casting into moulds and billets and finally to the production of cooking utensils and roofing sheets among others. He said VALCO, which has a total workforce of 1,200 was closed down in 2007 due to the unavailability of power to run the plant, adding that, 500 employees have been recalled to prepare the plant to start full operations by the end of the year.

Mr. Lartey further said the company is operating on two of its plants to produce anodes which would be used as electrical conductors to power the potlines for the smelting of aluminium at the start of full operations noting that the production of anodes do not require electricity as it uses gas and fuel. He noted that talks were underway for VALCO to build its own electricity plant to feed the factory with the 350 mega watts power needed to sustain its operations.

Dr Ndoum before the tour said the CPP was using VALCO as a beginning point to tour other companies especially those established by Ghana's first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah. He noted that the visit would help the party assess VALCO's present situation as well as help them formulate measures that would help in the implementation of Dr Nkrumah's vision of VALCO becoming an integral part of the Volta River Project to promote industralisation. He expressed satisfaction that the company was being managed by Ghanaians and called on foreign investors to desist from buying the country's assets but should rather enter into partnership with the Ghanaian experts as "we can do what others are doing even do it better."