Alcoa Warrick Operations
Large load · 4400 W STATE RTE 66, Newburgh, IN
Alcoa Warrick Operations near Newburgh, Indiana, is the state's only primary aluminum smelter. Three potlines of 150 pots each make up to 156,000 tonnes of aluminum a year. The smelter runs on its own four-unit Warrick Power Plant rather than a utility, and Alcoa sells the output of Unit 4 into the regional grid. In April 2026 Alcoa said it was weighing a restart of a fourth line, about 50,000 tonnes, at roughly $100 million, with secure short- and long-term electricity supply among the open questions. Alcoa has not published the smelter's load in megawatts.
Overview
The Warrick Power Plant supplies electricity, potable water and steam for all the production facilities, with more than 800 MW of generating capacity across four units. Alcoa bought Unit 4 from CenterPoint Energy in December 2023. Units 1-3 match the facility's production demand, and Unit 4's power is sold for distribution elsewhere in the region. That makes the potline load an islanded demand behind Alcoa's own generators, with Unit 4 a net export to the grid.
Profile
- The 2017 partial restart
- The smelter closed in March 2016. In July 2017 Alcoa announced it would restart three of five potlines to supply the Warrick rolling mill with molten metal, with the restart finishing in the second quarter of 2018. The announcement came with the plan for Alcoa Power Generating and Vectren to jointly own and operate Unit 4 through the end of 2023.
- A fourth line under review in 2026
- In April 2026 Alcoa chief executive Bill Oplinger said the company is weighing a fourth production line at Warrick, which could add roughly 50,000 tonnes of output at a cost of around $100 million. The idle line's condition has deteriorated, a restart could take one to two years, and electrical equipment has a long procurement time. He named securing reliable electricity supplies in both the short and long term, and handling a four-line operation, among the unresolved issues.
Facility
- Activity
- Primary aluminum smelting (three operating potlines of 150 pots) with an on-site power plant
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Site type
- Facility
- Operating status
- Operating
Reported Apr 28, 2026
Permits and agreements
- Agreement
- Alcoa purchased Warrick Unit 4 from CenterPoint Energy
- Agreement
- Units 1-3 match the production demand of the smelter and Unit 4 power is sold elsewhere in the region
Related records
Timeline
- Jul 11, 2017
- Alcoa announced restart of three of five Warrick potlines
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- Dec 1, 2023
- Alcoa purchased Warrick Unit 4 from CenterPoint Energy
www.alcoa.com
- Apr 28, 2026
- Alcoa said it is weighing a restart of a fourth production line at Warrick
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