Century Aluminum expansion lifts US primary aluminium output by 10% as top officials mark Mt Holly milestone

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Century Aluminum has celebrated the expansion of its Mt Holly aluminium smelter in South Carolina, with senior US officials joining the company to mark a project expected to increase the country's primary aluminium production by approximately 10 per cent.

The ceremony brought together US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Senior Counselor to President Trump Dr Peter Navarro, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, US Senator Tim Scott, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and Century Aluminum President and CEO Jesse Gary, highlighting the strategic importance of expanding domestic aluminium production.

Expansion strengthens US aluminium supply

Century Aluminum said the expansion will increase the Mt Holly workforce to more than 600 employees while representing one of the most significant additions to US primary aluminium capacity in recent years.

The company said the project was supported by the Section 232 aluminium tariffs, introduced under the Trump administration to encourage domestic aluminium production and strengthen supply chains considered critical to national and economic security.

Century Aluminum CEO Jesse Gary described the expansion as an important step in rebuilding US aluminium production, adding that the increase in output was "just the beginning" of broader efforts to strengthen the country's primary aluminium industry.

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USD 50 million investment

According to the US Department of Commerce, Century Aluminum invested USD 50 million in the Mt Holly expansion, a project Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said would further reinforce South Carolina's position as a leading manufacturing state while increasing US aluminium production.

Lutnick said a strong domestic aluminium industry remains essential to American industrial strength, while Dr Peter Navarro described the investment as reflecting the administration's efforts to expand domestic manufacturing capacity.

South Carolina leaders also welcomed the project, describing it as an important investment in jobs, manufacturing and the production of metals considered vital to national security.

Critical supplier for key industries

Century Aluminum is the largest producer of primary aluminium in the United States and the second largest in Iceland. Its aluminium supplies industries, including defence, aerospace, infrastructure, transportation and consumer goods, sectors that increasingly rely on secure domestic sources of primary aluminium.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place at the company's Mt Holly Smelter in Goose Creek, South Carolina, marking the completion of an expansion that Century Aluminum says will strengthen the resilience of the US aluminium supply chain.

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