FERNDALE, Wash. – Talks are underway that could lead to the reopening of the Intalco Works aluminum smelter at Cherry Point.
Don Goldberg is the Economic Development Director with the Port of Bellingham.
“We are not privy to how far that negotiation is going, what stage it is, or whether it’s going to happen or not,” says Goldberg. “We just know that there are parties that are interested. It’s an incredible asset.”
He says Alcoa, which owns the facility, is in talks with a company that would reopen it as an aluminum smelter and another that could use it to produce steel from scrap metal.
Alcoa closed the plant in the summer of 2020, laying off hundreds of local workers.
Mayor Greg Hansen of Ferndale, where many of those workers live, says in a statement the city is eager to see those jobs return.
You can listen to the full interview with Goldberg on our Podcast page.