Magnitude 7 Metals New Madrid Smelter
Large load · 391 ST. JUDE INDUSTRIAL PARK, Marston, MO
The New Madrid smelter at Marston, Missouri, formerly Noranda's, is owned by Magnitude 7 Metals and has been fully idle since early 2024. It has three potlines with over 500 reduction pots and a nameplate capacity of 263,000 metric tons a year. In July 2026 the company announced it would restart potline one, about 75,000 tons a year, before the end of 2026. Its 2018 energy agreement with Associated Electric Cooperative was not renewed before the shutdown, and the restart announcement does not say whether a new long-term power arrangement is in place.
Overview
Magnitude 7 Metals halted production in early 2024 after its power agreement was not renewed. A letter from plant management in January 2024 said abnormally cold weather had impaired operations to the point where they could not be restored while running. On July 1, 2026 the company announced it would restart potline one before the end of 2026, returning approximately 75,000 metric tons a year. The announcement refers only to potline one, and the company did not say whether more potlines would follow.
Profile
- Power: the 2018 Associated Electric agreement
- A critical component of the 2018 decision to reopen the smelter was the ability to negotiate energy costs that would let it compete globally. Magnitude 7 Metals reached an agreement with Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc., which is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, Iowa and Oklahoma. Associated's chief executive said it would let the smelter start operating immediately and that Associated's members would benefit through more efficient use of available generating capacity. The megawatt size of the contract is not stated in the sources.
- History of closures and restarts
- When the smelter's former owners filed for bankruptcy in 2016, hundreds of jobs disappeared. Magnitude 7 Metals acquired the facility in 2018 with a plan to bring two of three production lines back into service over two years. The smelter returned to operation in mid-2018 and closed again in early 2024. The 2026 restart announcement, like the 2018 one, followed a US Section 232 tariff on aluminum imports.
Facility
- Activity
- Primary aluminum smelting (three potlines, over 500 reduction pots), mainly ingot
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Site type
- Facility
- Operating status
- Idled
Reported Jul 2, 2026
Permits and agreements
- Agreement
- Agreement with Associated Electric Cooperative
Related records
Timeline
- Mar 12, 2018
- Magnitude 7 Metals announced it would reopen the Marston smelter after reaching an energy agreement with Associated Electric Cooperative
www.tradeandindustrydev.com
- Jan 24, 2024
- Plant management told employees most would no longer be needed as operations were severely impaired
www.alcircle.com
- Jul 1, 2026
- Magnitude 7 Metals announced it would restart potline one, about 75,000 tonnes a year, before the end of 2026
Magnitude 7 Metals plans partial restart of New Madrid smelter - Aluminum Market Update