The smelter project is expected to contribute up to RM 2.4 billion annually to Malaysia’s GDP and generate up to 4,700 direct and indirect jobs, spurring further growth of the corridor.

“SCORE is a significant milestone for the development of Sarawak and the SALCO smelter is well placed to be a catalyst to move the state to the next level of industrialization,” said CMS Group Managing Director Dato’ Richard Curtis.

“We laud the steps taken by the Sarawak State and the Federal Governments to establish the new poverty eradication and industrial development corridor, a project that is clearly in line with transforming Sarawak into a developed state by 2020, with other plans of the 9th Malaysia Plan. We are confident that the SALCO smelter project will boost Sarawak’s economic prosperity even further,” Dato’ Curtis said.

Rio Tinto Alcan Senior Vice President of Business Development Sandeep Biswas added, “Once developed, the SALCO smelter will represent one of the single largest foreign direct investments (FDI) in Malaysia, providing significant on-going employment, boosting small businesses, and driving the development of support industries.”

Malaysian Main Board-listed conglomerate CMS and global aluminium producer, Rio Tinto Alcan signed a Heads of Agreement in August 2007 to commence feasibility studies for the development of the smelter in Similajau.

Mr Biswas added that the project has been making good progress with the allocation of a parcel of State owned land, commencement of the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) and the appointment of prominent international engineering consultant Bechtel to undertake an engineering study.

In conjunction with the SCORE launch, Rio Tinto Alcan and CMS signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with relevant parties. These included an MoU with Sarawak Energy Berhad for the provision of power for the SALCO smelter; an MoU with Rio Tinto Alcan for the supply of AP aluminium smelting technology services; and the award of the first training package to CMS employees to be trained at Rio Tinto Alcan facilities.