Century Aluminum to Construct 1st US Aluminum Plant in More Than 40 Years

The project is expected to create 5,000 direct and construction jobs.

Employees work with aluminium ingots at a factory in Huaibei, Anhui province, China, on Feb. 9, 2022. STR/AFP via Getty Images

Illinois-based Century Aluminum Company has entered into a joint development agreement with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) to construct the “first new primary aluminum production plant in the United States since 1980,” Century said in a statement on Jan. 26.

Primary aluminum production involves smelting alumina to produce new aluminum metal. This differs from secondary production, in which existing aluminum is recycled.