Story by Mike Nolting, MetroNews
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – A global aluminum recycler and manufacturer has announced the impending closure of their facility in Buckhannon, which will idle as many as 80 workers.
Senior director of corporate communications, Julie Groover, said due to a mandatory quiet period for a potential confidential IPO filing, she is very limited in the information she can provide.
“Beginning June 14, 2024, Novelis will no longer operate the Buckhannon plant, and we will permanently shut down production,” Groover said. “We will provide impacted employees with support throughout the transition.”
Upshur County Commission president Kristie Tenney told MetroNews she also had very limited information about the decision to close the facility.
In February, the company provided an update on a $4.1 billion facility under construction in Bay Minette, Alabama. The facility is referred to as “the first fully integrated aluminum plant built in the U.S. in nearly 40 years and the largest project in company history.”
“We are building this plant not just for today but for the next 40 years and beyond,” Novelis president and CEO Steven Fisher said. “Bay Minette will be a true plant of the future, combining our decades of experience with the latest technology to improve safety, efficiency, and the sustainability of our products, while also providing the ability to double future capacity in a cost-effective manner.”
The website said the facility in Buckhannon was built in 1999 to serve the electrical conductor industry and other light-gauge applications. It also describes a site in Fairmont that supplies domestic and international customers with more than 430 light gauge and foil products.
“With customer contracts for beverage packaging already signed and automotive contracting proceeding as planned, we remain confident in the double-digit return of this historic investment,” Fisher added.
Novelis is owned by India-based Hindalco Industries and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.