Century joins EGA in Oklahoma smelter project

Century Aluminum announced Monday that it is taking a 40% stake in Emirates Global Aluminium’s (EGA) project to build the first primary smelter in the US since the 1980s.

EGA, which will own 60% of the joint venture, first proposed building the smelter in Inola, Okla., in 2025. The facility is expected to produce 750,000 tons of aluminum per year—an amount that would more than double current US production. That capacity total has been revised up from 600,000 tons per year.

“Key industries, such as automotive, aerospace, construction, packaging and importantly, national defense, stand to benefit greatly from this expanded production of this critical metal, which will create thousands of new American manufacturing jobs,” Jesse Gary, CEO of Century Aluminum, said in a statement.