Chavez to discuss refinery with Dominica

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will discuss plans with Dominica for a $80 million oil refinery on the island during his upcoming Caribbean trip, the government said.

The proposed facility would be able to process up to 10,000 barrels a day and have enough capacity for Dominica to also export refined oil, the government said in a statement Thursday.

‘The refinery will satisfy internal demand and produce a surplus for exportation from the island,’ Rodolfo Sanz, foreign vice minister for the Latin America and the Caribbean, was quoted as saying.

Venezuela, responding to recent environmental concerns that have cropped up in Dominica about the refinery, said its state oil company has conducted studies showing that there will be no environmental impact.

Chavez travels to Dominica on Friday and St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Saturday.

Chavez will also review some $150 million in cooperative projects with Dominica, including a protective marine barrier and $8 million in financing to build homes, Sanz said.

Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and his counterpart from St. Vincent, Ralph Gonsalves, will also sign agreements with Chavez pledging to propose closer cooperation between the Caribbean Community and a left-leaning bloc, known as ALBA, founded by Chavez and his Cuban ally, Fidel Castro.

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