00:06The Ibis Steel Company replaces the defunct Asalomittal Steel Company and the intent is
00:13for it to be better than it was before it closed its doors 10 years ago. So says Chief Executive
00:19Officer of USA Perron based company Pinnacle Steel and Vanadium Corporation Edwin Bennett.
00:26Our vision for this facility is there will be one of the most technologically advanced lowest
00:32cost and environmentally friendly steel mills in the world putting Trinidad on the map not only as
00:39a steel producer as a critical minerals producer but as a on the forefront the leading edge of steel
00:46production technology. The refurbishment program is still underway once the steel plant is up and
00:52running. Vanadium will be one of the products being produced there and this time Bennett says
00:5780% of the production market is dominated by China and Russia. Vanadium is a critical metal much in
01:05demand in the US and the EU for the aerospace industry for batteries and for the steel industry.
01:12our vision is to produce the equivalent of 50% of American consumption of vanadium. In other words
01:21100% of the quantity of vanadium that the United States imports. We're planning first production by
01:27the end of 2027 so we hope to welcome you all again in just a little bit over a year.
01:34Minister of
01:35Works and Infrastructure Jillian John points out that when the steel plant initially shut its doors
01:40six hundred and forty-four workers were placed on the breadline. Some are now actively engaged in the
01:46refurbishment process. Take the available workforce and add it to the infrastructure already in place.
01:54John believes it will redound to lower cost. As for the amount of vanadium intended to be produced
02:00and what it will mean for the country the minister paints this picture. Imagine a country of 1.4 million
02:06people becoming a material part of the supply chain of the largest economy on earth not as a supplicant but
02:13as a supplier. John says the MOU for the Ibersteel company was executed on July 10th among two others
02:21with US-based corporations. The minister insists upon the creation of a training pipeline for this
02:27and the data center. Not in a ministry, not in a policy document, a facility delivered by
02:34internationally recognized specialized IT universities which live with live equipment
02:39provided by the operators in the classroom. Qualifications targeting the credentials
02:43these industries actually require including fiber and copper insulation, safety certification
02:49and industrial maintenance and a paid internship written into the operator's conditions not left to
02:55goodwill. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Lando views the reopening as tangible proof of the
03:01commitment and relationship forged between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Kamala
03:06Posad-Bissessa and their economic visions and Lando distinguishes her from other Caribbean leaders
03:13with ties to the U.S. I really do feel like this Prime Minister here in Trinidad today
03:18is really opening the door for a new vision of U.S. Caribbean relations that nobody has ever
03:29opened before. It's been there for 60 years. Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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