Trump’s tariffs behind Century Aluminum smelter restart

Century Aluminum has stated that the planned restart at their Mt. Holly smelter is due to President Trump’s tariffs.

Currently operating at 75% capacity, Century plan to restart over 50,000 tonnes of idled production at its South Carolina smelter.

Century CEO, Jesse Gary, said: “Today’s announcement was made possible by President Trump’s commitment to onshoring manufacturing of critical metals, protecting America’s national security, and to protecting American workers in our industry whose expertise is needed to ensure future generations do not have to rely on foreign supplies to build our communities and grow our economy,

“Our team stands ready to continue leading the resurgence of domestic primary aluminum, starting with bringing our Mt. Holly smelter back to full production.”

Under the current policies, aluminium imports into the US face a 50% tariff.

As part of the restart, Century will invest $50m into the South Carolina smelter, creating over 100 additional jobs. At full capacity, the Mt. Holly smelter could have an economic impact of over $877m.

Century aim for full production at the Mt. Holly smelter by the end of June 2026.