Tómas Sigurdsson, the CEO of Alcoa in Iceland, said the company is working on preparations for the construction of a new aluminum smelter at Bakki, near Húsavík in north Iceland, and will not change its plans despite the current political situation.
The Alcoa smelter in Reydarfjördur. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
“We will carry on and work according to the declaration of intent,” Sigurdsson told Fréttabladid. “We are fully dedicated to the project, have made considerable investments in it and are currently undertaking an environmental impact assessment.”
The declaration of intent that was signed in June 2008 expires in fall 2009 and Sigurdsson said his company is planning to renew it.
Sigurdsson had a pre-scheduled meeting at the Ministry of Industry on Tuesday and said that he would not let the ongoing government discussions by the Social Democrats and the Left-Greens influence his company’s work.
The Left-Green Movement is generally against constructing new aluminum smelters in Iceland and the Social Democrats have mixed opinions on the issue.
Click here to read about the planned smelter at Bakki.
