Pittsburgh-based aluminum producer Alcoa Corp. said Wednesday it is investing $60 million to upgrade its New York smelter operations, supported by both a new energy agreement and a $6-million grant.
Alcoa signed a new 10-year energy contract with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and will invest $60 million in capital in its Massena Operations in New York, which is a key component of the aluminum smelting process.
“We are proud to make aluminum in New York and the United States,” said Alcoa President and CEO William Oplinger. “Long-term, competitively priced energy enables Alcoa to proceed with this important investment that will help us meet the demands of today while planning for tomorrow.”
Specifically, the contract will provide Massena Operations with 240 megawatts of competitively priced renewable energy. The contract will go into effect April 1, 2026, with the possibility to extend for two additional five-year terms, according to Alcoa.
In addition to the contract, Alcoa is investing approximately $60 million through 2028 to rebuild and modernize the smelter’s anode baking furnace. The investment is made possible by the new energy contract and a grant of roughly $6 million from Empire State Development (ESD).
“We are extremely pleased to have worked with NYPA and ESD to achieve this outcome for our Massena Operations, which will continue to bring economic benefits to the region and sustain American manufacturing,” Oplinger said.
Massena Operations has an annual nameplate capacity of 130,000 metric tons and is the world’s longest continuously operating smelter, with aluminum production that began in 1902.
It’s also one of the four remaining smelters in the United States, employing approximately 550 workers (including contractors) and contributing more than $66 million in direct salaries, wages and benefits, and $90 million in contracts with 1,800 U.S. suppliers in 2024.