Alcoa shuts down smelting line at Warrick site

Pittsburgh-based Alcoa Corp. (NYSE: AA) says it has ended one of three operating smelting lines at its Warrick Operations facility in Newburgh. The company says the move was made due to “operational challenges,” but did not provide specifics.

The aluminum maker did not state whether any jobs would be affected by the decision.

“Our teams will be focused on ensuring that we bring down this capacity safely while protecting production at the two other operating lines,” said John Slaven, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for more information from Inside INdiana Business.

Alcoa says each of its smelting lines at Warrick can produce 54,000 metric tons per year.

In April 2021, Alcoa sold the rolling mill business at the Warrick Operations to Kaiser Aluminum Corp. (Nasdaq: KALU) in California in a deal valued at $670 million. Alcoa retained ownership of the smelter and electric generating units at the site once the deal was complete.

Earlier this year, Kaiser detailed plans to invest $150 million to build a 100,00-square-foot production bay to house a new coating line at the Warrick site.