SALCO Smelter’s Community Engagement Begins

Monday, 24 September 2007, Bintulu -- Sarawak Aluminium Company’s (SALCO) programme of community engagement for the proposed aluminium smelter project began last week with a dialogue held in Bintulu on Friday.

Hosted by the Resident of Bintulu, Dr Razali Abon, the dialogue saw over 40 residents representing a cross-section of the local community - from associations and the business community, local community heads and government departments - meet for the first time with the team from Rio Tinto Aluminium and CMS.

The dialogue, which lasted over 2 hours, addressed questions about the project, on RTA and its experience in developing and operating aluminium smelters, on safety & health concerns and future business opportunities related to the proposed aluminium smelter.

Among those present to answer questions and comments were RTA’s Matt Liddy (GM, Smelter Project Development), Alan Irving (Rio Tinto’s Principal Adviser for Environment), Angus Green (RTA’s consultant specializing in communities) and its External Affairs team. CMS’ team was led by Dato’ Richard Curtis (Group MD) and Isaac Lugun (Head of Similajau Development SBU).

The dialogue was the first of a series of events to be held under SALCO’s community engagement programme which is targeted towards providing the local community with information about the smelter project.

The proposed location of the SALCO smelter will be at Similajau, approximately 60 km from Bintulu town. Due to its proximity, it is expected that many resources and services, including employment, will come from Bintulu.

The previous week had been a busy week for the RTA and CMS teams on the SALCO smelter project. On Monday, 17 September 2007, an announcement was made on the appointment of 2 groups of consultants to begin the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) study. On Wednesday, 20 September 2007, RTA and CMS met with non-governmental organization, the Malaysian Nature Society’s Kuching Branch, to gain a better understanding of the wildlife activities and concerns in the Similajau area.