Century Aluminum unit CASC announces preliminary pact with Santee Cooper

Century Aluminum unit CASC announced it has reached a preliminary agreement on the principal terms of a new, three-year power contract with the South Carolina Public Service Authority, also known as Santee Cooper, for the Mt. Holly aluminum smelter. The contract is expected to provide a minimum 290MW of electric power, allowing the smelter to increase its current production 50 percent by adding one-half of one potline to its current operation resulting in total production of 75 percent of Mt. Holly's full capacity. In order to provide the time necessary to finalize the new contract and obtain the necessary governmental approvals, the parties have agreed to extend the current contract by three months. Upon receipt of all necessary approvals, the new contract would be expected to begin on April 1, 2021 and run through December 2023. CASC has also extended the conditional WARN notice, issued on October 20 through March 31. Michael Bless, Century's President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We could not have reached this milestone without the unwavering commitment of Mt. Holly's employees, their families and the entire community. In the face of the persistent uncertainty surrounding the plant's future, compounded by an unprecedented global health crisis, our people have consistently operated the plant safely and efficiently. It is only through their focus and hard work that we were provided the opportunity to seek a power arrangement that would enable the plant to continue to operate. The men and women of Mt. Holly have earned our gratitude and our highest respect. We look forward to beginning the significant efforts required to rebuild the cells and otherwise prepare the plant to operate for the longer-term; this will include ultimately hiring an additional 70 people to support the incremental one-half potline."