Novelis Oswego fire could halt plant’s aluminum production until 2026

Novelis Inc. announced October 6 that a devastating fire at their Oswego, New York aluminum plant may put the factory’s hot mill out of commission for the rest of the year. The aluminum mill is Novelis’ first and largest fabrication site in North America, with 1,100 employees, and the Wall Street Journal reported the setback is likely to have ripple effects for Ford Motors, a client of Novelis.

Though nobody was hurt in the September 16 blaze, the fire itself and the water used to extinguish it damaged the factory’s hot mill, cold mill, finishing, and remelt/recycling areas. Novelis says the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

In an update released three weeks after the fire, Novelis said power is being restored to the remelt and recycle area, and the cold mill and finishing areas are both back online and operational. The status of the hot mill equipment is less clear: The metal maker said structural damage from the fire is making it difficult to adequately assess damage to equipment there.

A company statement said Novelis is prioritizing restoration of the site, and calling in its other locations to help address the needs of its clients. “We are urgently taking steps to minimize the impact of the recent fire at our Oswego facility on our customers,” the unsigned statement read. “We have activated Novelis’ global network of plants and are also partnering with industry peers to source material in order to help mitigate the gap in supply.”