BURNSIDE, LA— Refurbishment work
continues at the newly acquired Impala Burnside Terminal in
Ascension Parish. With more than $1 million spent on the alumina
dock, administrative offices, landscaping and other maintenance
work, the terminal is quickly ramping-up activities.
“These are early days but Impala is
already laying the foundations for a concerted drive to hire local
residents and utilize local Louisiana-owned service companies and
contractors during refurbishment efforts,” said Phillip Hanna,
Louisiana resident and Burnside Terminal maintenance manager.
“Looking ahead, there is no question that Impala will substantially
increase business and economic activity in and around Ascension
Parish.”
Impala has also launched a public
information program for local residents and nearby community
stakeholders, including the development of http://www.burnsideterminal.com/,
a timely and informative website geared toward keeping the local
community informed about the project. A Burnside Terminal Twitter
feed will also be utilized in communications with the
community.
Ormet received an initial shipment
of bauxite through the Burnside terminal on Wednesday, Sept. 28 and
will shortly receive a further vessel. The arrival of the two
shipments signify the start of a steady flow of bauxite into the
facility and represent a milestone for Impala and Ormet who have
worked closely together since the acquisition in June 2011.
Once fully operational, the Burnside
Terminal will be only the fourth of its kind on the Mississippi
River and the only one with the possibility of both rail-to-vessel
and barge-to-vessel capabilities. Opportunities for further
expansion and development of the terminal are being explored by
Impala in partnership with relevant stakeholders. Conceptual
and feasibility studies for the terminal are underway and are due
for completion later this year.
In June 2011, Impala, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Trafigura, acquired Ormet’s Burnside terminal in
Ascension Parish, Louisiana. The objective of the acquisition
is to create a state-of-the-art major bulk terminal for coal,
bauxite and alumina. When completed, the terminal will be one
of the top ten coal and bulk logistics facilities in the U.S. The
Burnside facility was originally constructed in 1956 alongside an
alumina refinery, but was idled in January 2008. The Ormet alumina
refinery alongside the bulk terminal was not included in the
purchase.
For further information please
contact:
Trafigura press office
+44 207 009 1708
media@trafigura.com