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(Bloomberg) — An idled aluminum smelter in Missouri will restart production before the end of this year, helping to boost output of the metal amid the Trump administration’s push to revive the domestic industry.
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Magnitude 7 Metals LLC will reopen part of the smelter, adding about 75,000 metric tons of annual production, according to a memo seen by Bloomberg News.
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In the memo, the company attributed the reopening to President Donald Trump’s Section 232 tariffs on aluminum, which targets foreign imports of the metal used in cars, cans and construction. Magnitude 7 Metals didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
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The US aluminum industry has declined sharply since the early 2000s, with high energy costs and competition from lower-cost producers overseas forcing smelter closures. That has left the country increasingly reliant on imports as the energy transition and the boom in artificial intelligence boost demand for the metal.
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Surging aluminum prices have sparked new investment in the industry, however. Earlier this year, Century Aluminum Co. started producing metal from an expansion at its South Carolina smelter. The company has also partnered with Emirates Global Aluminum to build the first new US smelter since 1980.
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The Missouri smelter has sat idle since 2024, when Magnitude 7 curtailed operations after struggling with weak aluminum prices and high power costs. The closure affected more than 400 workers and prompted appeals from federal lawmakers, including Senator Josh Hawley, to find a buyer and keep the facility afloat. Magnitude 7 acquired the plant from Noranda Aluminum in 2018.
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Aluminum prices are up about 3% this year after supply disruptions in the Middle East, a region accounting for nearly a 10th of global output, fueled a rally between March and May. On Tuesday, Alcoa Corp. announced plans to buy South32 Ltd.’s bauxite, alumina and aluminum assets in a deal worth as much as $5.6 billion.
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