Century Aluminum, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is moving forward with plans to build a primary aluminum smelter in Inola, Oklahoma. This facility will be the first new aluminum smelter constructed in the United States since 1980.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright met with Century Aluminum executives to mark progress on the project. “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 facility in the nation, with a projected annual output exceeding 500,000 tons of primary aluminum. This includes around 20,000 tons of high-purity aluminum for national defense purposes. On January 26, 2026, Century announced a partnership with Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) to jointly develop the site. EGA’s investment was secured as part of a strategic agreement between the United Arab Emirates and the United States made public in Abu Dhabi on May 15, 2025.
In 2025, DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations awarded $500 million for construction of this facility. The aim is to demonstrate that domestic smelting can be economically viable and help reduce dependence on imported aluminum.
Currently, there are four operating primary aluminum smelters in the U.S., producing a combined total of 683,500 metric tons per year—far below previous levels when more than thirty plants produced up to five million tons annually. In recent years, imports have outpaced exports; in 2024 alone, net imports reached about 2.46 million metric tons.
Secretary Wright stated that “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.”
The DOE has also recently launched several initiatives aimed at strengthening energy infrastructure and promoting clean energy solutions nationwide. For example, on July 21, 2022, it announced a $225 million program funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support implementation of modern building energy codes designed to improve efficiency across communities (https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-launches-225-million-program-lower-utility-bills-through-more). The department has further encouraged international collaboration toward clean energy transitions through forums such as the Global Clean Energy Action Forum held in Pittsburgh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sebmi2QGbV4).
Other DOE-supported efforts include technology development for environmental management missions (https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/technology-development-aiding-em-mission-senior-advisor-white-tells-congress), innovative groundwater cleanup methods at federal sites (https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/srs-tackles-groundwater-issue-using-innovative-passive-energy-process), funding opportunities for clean vehicle technologies (https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-96-million-advancing-clean-vehicle-technologies-reduce-carbon-emissions), and over one hundred programs supporting equitable distribution of clean energy investments under President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative (https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-more-140-programs-supporting-president-bidens-justice40-initiative).
