US to build largest aluminum plant with 500,000-ton annual capacity

The United States is set to build its first aluminum smelter since the 1980s, with a planned annual production capacity of 500,000 tons. The facility will be constructed by Century Aluminum in Inola, Oklahoma, marking a significant shift in US aluminum production policy aimed at reducing dependence on imports. Historically, the US was a leading aluminum producer with 33 smelters producing over 5 million tons annually, but this has dwindled to just four smelters producing 683,500 metric tons. In 2024, aluminum imports reached 5.46 million metric tons, underscoring the country’s reliance on foreign sources. The new smelter will extract pure aluminum from alumina through an electrolytic process and will include production of 20,000 tons of high-purity aluminum for defense uses. This initiative aligns with the US government’s broader policy to reshore manufacturing and secure critical mineral supply chains. Century Aluminum received $500 million from the Office of Clean