China will help build a US$400-million aluminium smelter in Trinidad's southern region, according to the leader of the Caribbean island.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning did not say when construction would start or how many tonnes of aluminium would be produced yearly.

Trinidad would run the factory using its vast resources of natural gas, Manning said.

Leading supplier of LNG

The country is the leading supplier of liquid natural gas (LNG) to the United States and the second-largest energy producer on the Caribbean Sea after nearby Venezuela.

The smelter would be built close to Pitch Lake, the world's largest natural asphalt reservoir. It would help boost production of aluminium, one of Trinidad's main commodities, Manning said.

Injunction filed

Environmentalists who successfully lobbied against another smelter two years ago have filed an injunction against the project.

The factory would be located roughly 20 miles (32 kilometres) from where US-based Alcoa Inc had planned to build a US$1.5- billion smelter.

Manning rejected its plans based on complaints from local residents about air and water pollution.

The smelter would be one of more than a dozen Chinese-funded projects in Trinidad, including a university campus, a cultural centre and several high-rise government buildings.