Project demonstrates the economic viability of domestic smelting and reduces U.S. reliance on imports.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today joined executives of Century Aluminum to celebrate progress toward constructing a primary aluminum smelter in Inola, Oklahoma—a project supported through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
“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.”
Once complete, the plant will be the largest-ever primary aluminum production plant in the U.S., with the potential to produce over 500,000 tons of high-quality, primary aluminum per year—including approximately 20,000 tons of high-purity aluminum suitable for national defense applications. On January 26, 2026, Century announced plans to jointly develop the plant with Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA). EGA’s investment to help develop this multi-billion-dollar smelter project in Oklahoma was secured by President Trump as part of the strategic partnership announced between the United Arab Emirates and the United States in Abu Dhabi on May 15, 2025.
In 2025, DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) awarded $500 million to advance construction of the first new primary aluminum smelter in the United States since 1980. This project demonstrates the economic viability of domestic smelting and reduces dependence on foreign imports. In 2024, the United States imported 5.46 million metric tons and exported 3 million metric tons of downstream aluminum products and scrap, resulting in net imports of 2.46 million metric tons. There are currently four primary aluminum smelters operating in the United States that produce 683,500 metric tons, down from America’s historical ranking as the world’s leading producer when 33 sites were in operation producing up to 5 million tons per year. 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.
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