Here - there - everywhere Aluminum - but....

not Newfoundland and Labrador.

Let's look at the Aluminum Sector:

In North America Primary Aluminum production uses over 9000 MW's of power. Of this 70% is hydro generated - 29% is coal generated - the remaining 1% is shared by oil - natural gas and nuclear generation. None are powered by wind.

Clearly the aluminum sector prefers hydro generation for power supply.

This extends to other jurisdictions in the world - where - if hydro is available they will use it.

According to the International Aluminum Institute:

At least 55 per cent of the world's primary aluminium is produced using hydro-electric power which is clean, non polluting and renewable. Hydroelectric dams and their related aluminium smelters tend to be situated in remote areas, and therefore provide economic activity where there would otherwise be none. Other aluminium smelters are located in areas where there is historically a natural surplus of energy for which there is insufficient economic local use.

For our tremendous Lower Churchill power - Labrador must be an ideal candidate. The fact that previous governments and the current administration has been unable to successfully attract under reasonable terms this type of industry only reflects regressive policy of developing the Lower Churchill for export.

As one reader of Sue's Blog pointed out - sarcastically - "Iceland has no choice: it either uses its electricity within Iceland, or it doesn't get used at all." I guess that's the answer then - when industry knows it must come to a jurisdiction to utilize hydro power - it will.

Thus Iceland has 3 aluminum smelters - Labrador has none and that wonderful Upper Churchill power has helped to create:

The first step in processing aluminum in Quebec employs close
to 4,800 people in plants whose capacity represents 23% of
the Province’s primary production.

Second and third processing activities, although significant,
are difficult to quantify because they take place in very
diverse sectors.

A study of industrial sub-contracting in Quebec (Sous-traitance
industrielle du Québec - STIQ) revealed that over 1,300
manufacturing facilities use aluminum in their products.

It should also be remembered that, while aluminum smelters
naturally tend to locate close to sources of electric power at
competitive prices, the transformation sector tends to locate
close to markets liable to receive its products.

Significant efforts have been made to promote aluminum
fabrication in Quebec, particularly in the research sector.

The industry has made a commitment to create 1,500 jobs
in the fabrication sector over the next 10 years.

It is time to stop bypassing Labrador as the industrial capitol of our province. When you consider the iron-ore deposits - Voisey's Bay minerals - potential uranium and other major mineral deposits - and add the Upper and Lower Churchill power potentials - it had to take complete mismanagement and inferior policy not to have achieved this by now.

If hydro and mineral resources were handled to make Labrador the primary beneficiary of the regional resources - we would not need Hebron to bring any Newfoundlander and Labradorian home - they would already be here - and we would be attracting workers from the rest of Canada here.

Do not allow the export of Lower Churchill power.