Officials with Century Aluminum say what the state Public Service Commission is proposing for a special electricity rate with Appalachian Power will not be enough to reopen the company’s plant in Jackson County right now.
Company officials, though, are indicating they are not willing to give up completely on the site in Ravenswood.
Century Aluminum Spokesperson Lindsey Berryhill said the following in a statement:
"Century is seeking an enabling power contract that would allow us to operate the plant continuously well into the future. We regret that the current order does not meet that need," she said.
Berryhill says the company is looking at modifications that could allow for a restart and plans to file a motion for reconsideration with the PSC. There is a 15 day window for any such filing that will close next week.
In an order issued last week, the PSC established a Special Rate Mechanism for Century. In simple terms, it set up a kind of savings account Century could pay into when the price of aluminum is high and then dip into when the price of aluminum is low.
Century had originally proposed drawing on subsidies from Appalachian Power customers during those down times.