San Francisco-based Brimstone and Chicago-based Century Aluminum signed an agreement June 25 to create the first U.S. mine-to-metal supply chain to produce aluminum.
The memorandum of understanding sets out a plan for Brimstone to supply Century Aluminum—the largest American primary aluminum producer—with significant volumes of alumina, the key ingredient in aluminum production, from a plant the company is building in Reno, Nevada.
“Foreign sources, including China, currently dominate global alumina production,” said Cody Finke, CEO of Brimstone, in a statement. “Brimstone is bringing alumina production home and doing it at a globally competitive price.”
The company is producing alumina from rock quarried in the United States.
“Our partnership with Century is building a resilient domestic critical minerals supply chain—strengthening national security, reducing import dependence, and creating high-quality American jobs,” Finke said.
Aluminum is used for fuel-efficient vehicles and electric vehicles. It is also critical for manufacturing aircraft structures and military vehicles, according to the Aluminum Association.
President Donald Trump has prioritized building domestic supply chains of critical minerals as the U.S. seeks to reduce its dependence on China and other foreign sources.
The United States currently imports most of its primary aluminum as demand for it continues to surge. Experts predict the United States will need 40 percent more by 2030 to meet future demands, Brimstone said.
Alumina production requires bauxite, an ore concentrated in subtropical regions overseas, Brimstone said. The United States has no ore deposits that can be mined economically, forcing domestic aluminum smelters to rely on imports.
Primary aluminum—a critical mineral essential to national defense, transportation, and infrastructure—is dependent on imported alumina or alumina feedstock, mostly from China.
China currently produces about 60 percent of global alumina and aluminum, while the United States produces less than one-sixth of the aluminum it consumes, Brimstone said.
Brimstone, founded in 2019, plans to begin operating the Reno plant in 2028, the company said. Once completed in 2034, the facility will be the company’s first industrial-scale plant with an expected annual production capacity of about 350,000 metric tons of smelter-grade alumina (SGA).
The fine, high-purity white powder will become the raw material for producing primary aluminum metal.
Brimstone’s rock refinery uses an industrial strategy pioneered by the oil and gas industry. The co-production strategy refines rock into multiple essential materials and critical minerals, including cement, steel, magnesium, and titanium.
By supplying Century Aluminum directly, the aluminum can be shielded from disruptions and price volatility seen in the global supply chain, according to Brimstone.
“We continue to do our part to revitalize primary aluminum production in the U.S.,” said Matt Aboud, senior vice president of strategy at Century Aluminum, in a statement. “Securing additional domestic supply of alumina will encourage growth by making domestic production more efficient and cost-effective.”
Century Aluminum also recently announced a joint project with Emirates Global Aluminum to build the largest primary aluminum production plant ever constructed in the United States. The plant, to be built in Inola, Oklahoma, is also the first new domestic smelter in nearly 50 years. Once fully operational, the plant will double domestic capacity, the company said.
Century Aluminum restarted an idle production line at its Mt. Holly, South Carolina, facility after investing $50 million. The first metal from the restart is expected to come this spring, increasing domestic capacity of aluminum by 10 percent, the company estimated.
Brimstone is also engaged in talks with potential customers and partners for all of its products, which include cement, steel, and critical minerals, the company said.
