RAVENSWOOD, W.Va. — A company that specializes in remediation has completed the first phase of a project to tear down the former Century Aluminum Plant in Jackson County.
The remediation is being done by Applied Partners, based out of Delaware.
Earlier this year, Applied Partners purchased the site in Ravenswood for about $15 million. The company plans to place one of its own subsidiaries on the site while also making lots available for other companies.
“We’ve take all of the K088 off site and getting ready for redevelopment. It means that we finished the first stage of dismantling of the project in six months where we had 27 months allotted by the DEP,” said Mark Cenit, president of Applied Partners, following a Thursday announcement.
Cenit told MetroNews affiliate WMOV Radio in Ravenswood they plan to tear down the facility by next year.
“We expect within a year for the plant to be gone and the property ready for redevelopment,” he said.
Potential buyers have been checking out the site, but no tenant has been selected at this time.
“As of right now, it could be anything,” Cenit said. “People have been in looking at it. There’s no firm plans yet, but there’s been a lot of activity.”
It helps that the property is in a great location, he said.
“This is the perfect location — on the rail, two miles from the highway, on the river. We think we can ride that momentum and get the redevelopment done here quickly and get the jobs back,” Cenit said.
Applied Partners’ purchase of the Century Aluminum site was finalized in January.