Alcoa Massena Operations
Large load · 1814 STATE HIGHWAY 131, Massena, NY
Alcoa's Massena Operations in St. Lawrence County, New York, is a primary aluminum smelter and casthouse that Alcoa describes as the world's oldest continually operating smelter, dating to 1902. Its 198 pre-bake cells can produce 130,000 metric tons of aluminum a year. The potlines run on hydropower from the New York Power Authority's St. Lawrence-FDR project: a 240 MW Preservation Power allocation under a contract running through March 31, 2036.
Overview
- Contracted demand
- 240 MW
- operating
The smelter buys its electricity from the New York Power Authority rather than a retail utility. The contract signed in October 2025 allocates 240 MW of low-cost St. Lawrence-FDR hydropower through its Preservation Power program, which serves businesses in St. Lawrence, Franklin and Jefferson counties. It runs through March 31, 2036, and can be extended by two five-year terms if Alcoa keeps at least 500 full-time equivalent jobs and makes further capital investments. It follows a seven-year 240 MW agreement approved by NYPA in 2019. Alcoa signed its first contract with NYPA in July 1955, before the St. Lawrence-FDR project began producing power.
Profile
- The smelter
- Massena Operations combines a smelter and a casthouse. Its potrooms hold 198 pre-bake reduction cells rated to produce 130,000 metric tons of aluminum a year, and the anodes the cells consume are made on site. The plant ships aluminum sow, rod and billet to the automotive, aerospace, military, construction, electronics and packaging industries.
- Investment commitments
- Under the 2025 contract Alcoa committed to invest at least $3 million a year at the facility and to keep at least 500 full-time equivalent jobs at the Massena West plant, up from 450 under the 2019 deal. Separately, Alcoa is spending nearly $60 million through 2028 to rebuild and modernize the anode bake furnace, supported by a $5.2 million state capital grant and Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits.
Facility
- Activity
- Primary aluminum smelting and casting (sow, rod and billet)
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Site type
- Facility
- Operating status
- Operating
Grid connections
- Utility
- Not identified
- Market
- NYISOSite location
- Nearest substations
- Alcoa Massena Operations - West Plant115 kV510 m
- Unnamed substation115 kV1.3 km
Related records
Timeline
- Jul 1, 1955
- Alcoa signs its original power contract with NYPA
Governor Hochul Announces New Alcoa Power Contract Supporting 500 Jobs and Long-Term Investment in the North Country | Governor Kathy Hochul | New York State
- Jan 1, 2019
- NYPA approves a seven-year 240 MW hydropower agreement
Governor Hochul Announces New Alcoa Power Contract Supporting 500 Jobs and Long-Term Investment in the North Country | Governor Kathy Hochul | New York State
- Oct 22, 2025
- New 240 MW Preservation Power contract signed, running through March 31, 2036
Governor Hochul Announces New Alcoa Power Contract Supporting 500 Jobs and Long-Term Investment in the North Country | Governor Kathy Hochul | New York State