Opposition arose to the proposed  coal fired power plant. The 1,000-MW coal-fired plant to be built by the Chinese company Jiuquan Iron & Steel at Nain, St Elizabeth would be linked to the upgrading of bauxite-aluminium manufacturing. Environmentalists said "No to Coal-Fired Power Plant in Jamaica". (1).  More than 21,000 people signed a petition opposing coal-fired power in Jamaica. The #SayNOtoCoalJA initiative, being led by theJamaica Environment Trust (JET), is calling on the Government of Jamaica not to turn to coal as a fuel source for industrial development here. In July 2016, the Jamaican Government announced the sale of the old Alpart bauxite plant at Nain in St. Elizabeth to Jiuquan Iron & Steel Company Limited (JISCO) of China, as well as a 2 billion dollar investment in an industrial zone, powered by a 1000 megawatt (MW) coal-fired plant, creating 3,000 jobs. JET wants the government instead to continue the transition to a new energy future for Jamaica, as outlined in many government documents which emphasise energy conservation, renewables and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a transitional fuel for the Jamaica, a nation of 2.7 million people. “Coal-fired plants have several negative impacts on public health and the environment,” said JET’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Diana McCaulay. “Coal plant emissions cause respiratory illness in humans, and affect the environment by creating acid rain and contributing to global climate change.” “Coal, in fact, is the dirtiest of the fossil fuels,” said McCaulay. “It emits greater quantities of carbon dioxide than other fossil fuels.” Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions represent the largest share of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are blamed for  climate change.

A modern coal-fired plant emits 762 kilograms of CO2 per megawatt-hour of electricity generated, if there is no CO2 capture. The 1000 MW plant alone would emit roughly 6.7 million tonnes of CO2 per year, just over half of Jamaica’s 2025 target under the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Jamaica was among 150 nations to sign the Paris Agreement, which signalled the commitment of the international community to combat climate change. “The building of the proposed coal-fired plant would be in direct contradiction to that agreement,” said McCaulay.

Coal-fired power plants also typically emit a host of other pollutants besides carbon dioxide. The possible mercury, lead, arsenic, sulphur dioxide, dust and soot emissions associated with a coal-fired power plant also have significant impacts on public and environmental health.

 According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 59 percent of all sulphur dioxide and 18 percent of all oxides from nitrogen emissions come from coal-fired power plants. Another environmentalist, Wayne Chen, described the proposed plant as “short-sighted”, adding that it poses danger to residents in the vicinity of the plant. “While there will be immediate gains for the owners, in particular, and for the country, the extent to which is still not clear, the losses in the long run will cancel these gains,” he explained. “Contrary to popular belief, Jamaica’s greenhouse gas emissions are not insignificant. In 2011, our emissions, based on World Bank data, compared with those of Uruguay in South America and Georgia in Europe. With an additional 1,000 MW coal plant, our GHG emissions will more than double...". , e

For his part, Jamaican Energy Minister Andrew Wheatley dismissed the disquiet over reports of the coal plant as much ado about nothing. "Where we are right now, we have not received any application, any proposal, as it relates to a coal-fired plant at Alpart,” Wheatley told IDN. (1). Meanwhile, it was asserted (2) that "Coal is the only feasible option for a 1000-megawatt power plant being contemplated for the new owners of bauxite alumina company, Alpart. So said former Chairman of the Jamaica Bauxite Institute and Co-Chair of the Energy Monitoring Committee, Dr. Carlton Davis. The Chinese-owned Jiquan Iron and Steel, JISCO, was finalizing arrangements to take over Alpart, as part of a planned USD$2-billion investment in Jamaica. There’s been opposition to JISCO’s intention to build a 1000-megawatt coal-fired plant to run its operations. But Dr. Davis says coal is the only feasible option." (2) . At the end, by November 2017, it was said that "It'a LNG and not coal for Alpart plant". (5)

This would be related to the energy needs of an enlarged Alpart bauxite/alumina factory. Alumina Partners of Jamaica, also known as Alpart, is a company that owns and operates a bauxite refinery in Nain, Jamaica.Alpart was founded in 1969 as a joint venture by Kaiser Aluminum, Reynolds Aluminum, and Anaconda.Alpart exported 1.65 million tonnes of alumina overseas per year, and earned gross revenues of US$1.3 billion in 2007. As of 2011, previous partner Hydro divested its 35% stake to RusAl which assumed 100% stake in Alpart. In 2016, UC Rusal sold 100% stake of the Alumina Partners of Jamaica (‘Alpart’) to the Chinese state industrial group, JIUQUAN IRON & STEEL (GROUP) Co. Ltd. (‘JISCO). (Wikipedia).’

After the economic crisis of 2008, "the loss of Alpart’s plant was a major blow to the economy, putting hundreds out of work ... However, now that Jiuquan Iron and Steel Company has begun operations at the plant again, the operation is expected to employ up to one thousand workers, with at least seventy percent of the force to be drawn from among Jamaican natives. In addition, JISCO has pledged to invest around US$2 billion to establish an industrial zone in the area, comprised of bauxite mines, an alumina refinery, a coal-fired power plant, electrical infrastructure, rolling mills, and value-added aluminium production. According to estimates, this secondary operation could lead to as many as three thousand more jobs."(3)