Aluminum company says preferred site for new smelter is a region of Kentucky hit hard by job losses

By BRUCE SCHREINER
Associated Press

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Gov. Andy Beshear says an aluminum company has singled out northeastern Kentucky as its preferred site for a new aluminum smelter. The project could bring about 1,000 permanent jobs to a region hard hit by the loss of coal and steel production. Plans by Century Aluminum to build a smelter that produces dramatically lower emissions will be supported by $500 million from the U.S. Department of Energy. Beshear said Monday that the project has the potential to become the largest investment on record in eastern Kentucky. He says several steps remain to make the project a reality in northeastern Kentucky.