A new problem has emerged for Ormet Corp. as the aluminum producer begins winding down its operations: power to its Ohio smelter could be shut off on Friday, potentially flooding the groundwater with chemicals such as arsenic and cyanide, Dow Jones Newswire reported yesterday. At a hearing on Monday, American Electric Power Co. Inc., Ormet's electricity provider, told Bankruptcy Judge Mary Walrath that without payment of at least $1.4 million, electricity to Ormet's Hannibal, Ohio, facility would be shut off on Friday. That facility, which has halted operations and is being liquidated, has maintained interceptor wells since 1973 to prevent harmful chemicals from leaching out of the facility and into Ohio groundwater. Those wells require electricity to continue pumping. The EPA wasn't able to provide additional information on the situation Tuesday, but it said in court documents that stopping the pumping system "could pose substantial risks to public health and safety."
