Century Aluminum and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are moving forward with the construction of a new primary aluminum smelter in Inola, Oklahoma. This facility will be the first new American aluminum smelter built since 1980.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright met with Century Aluminum executives to mark progress on the project, which is supported by a DOE grant. “Today, I was honored to meet with the team that will be delivering America’s first new aluminum smelter of the 21st century,” said Secretary Wright. “This project could not have been realized without President Trump’s commitment to revitalizing this country’s manufacturing base and reducing our reliance on foreign suppliers. Century Aluminum’s joint venture shows how President Trump’s economic policies are encouraging global companies to partner with U.S. firms, build here in America, and create good-paying American jobs.”
The planned plant is expected to become the largest primary aluminum production site in the United States, with a projected annual output exceeding 500,000 tons of aluminum. About 20,000 tons will be high-purity aluminum for national defense needs. On January 26, 2026, Century announced it would develop the plant together with Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA). EGA’s investment follows a strategic partnership between the United Arab Emirates and the United States established in May 2025.
The DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations awarded $500 million in 2025 to help build this facility. The initiative aims to show that domestic smelting can be economically viable and reduce U.S. dependence on imported aluminum.
Currently, there are only four operating primary aluminum smelters in the country, producing about 683,500 metric tons per year—far below previous levels when up to 33 sites produced as much as five million tons annually. In recent years, imports have outpaced exports; in 2024 alone, net imports totaled approximately 2.46 million metric tons.
Secretary Wright highlighted how recent trade policies have contributed to reshoring manufacturing: “President Trump is ending this dangerous trend and re-shoring manufacturing by safeguarding and expanding our Nation’s domestic production of critical minerals and materials through tariffs and other trade policies, which have made investments like this in American projects possible.”
In related energy initiatives funded by federal programs under both current and past administrations:
– The DOE launched a $225 million program for building energy codes implementation funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve efficiency standards across buildings nationwide (https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-launches-225-million-program-lower-utility-bills-through-more).
– The department has also promoted clean energy transitions globally and invested $96 million toward decarbonizing transportation through expanded electric vehicle infrastructure (https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-96-million-advancing-clean-vehicle-technologies-reduce-carbon-emissions).
– Additionally, more than 140 programs now support President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative aiming for at least 40% of certain federal investments benefiting disadvantaged communities (https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-more-140-programs-supporting-president-bidens-justice40-initiative).
These efforts reflect broader trends within federal agencies toward supporting domestic industry growth while promoting clean energy technology development.
