Century Aluminum announces ceremonial restart of Kentucky smelter

Aluminum producer Century Aluminum has announced the ceremonial restart of its smelter in Hawesville, Ky., that will return the facility to full capacity and create nearly 300 new jobs by early 2019. For the past three years, the Hawesville smelter has operated at 40 percent capacity.

The first three production lines to be restarted at the smelter have returned to full production, and the company has already hired more than 125 new employees since the announcement of the Section 232 tariffs in March. The company will invest nearly $150 million in the facility to upgrade smelting technology; train existing employees to use new equipment; and add specialty positions such as welders, mechanics and engineers.