What to know Past problems: Century Aluminum paid to settle claims after residents near one plant sued in 2023, alleging emissions caused health issues like headaches and nosebleeds. Another plant has a history of pollution violations. Promises of a cleaner future: The company says past issues were due to equipment that failed prematurely and that newer technology will prevent similar problems at a new plant planned in Oklahoma. Residents skeptical: The new plant faces opposition from some people in Inola, who have raised concerns about air quality and health risks.

One of the companies that plans to build the first new aluminum smelter in the U.S. in nearly 50 years near Tulsa has a history of air pollution violations, including a lawsuit from residents who said emissions made them sick. 

Century Aluminum, a Chicago-based company that operates smelters in Kentucky, South Carolina and Iceland, was sued in 2023 by residents living near its South Carolina smelter. The lawsuit alleged that the smelter had been releasing an increasing amount of pollutants into the air over a period of several months. Then, in September 2023, the plant’s emissions control system malfunctioned multiple times. This caused the plant to release “substantial quantities” of chemical dust into surrounding neighborhoods where residents suffered from headaches, bloody noses and other health issues, the lawsuit claimed. 

The company denied the allegations, according to court documents, but agreed to pay more than $940,000 to 719 property owners near the smelter to settle the case in 2025. The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services also fined the company over $360,000 for violating air pollution limits over several years and failing to submit inspection reports to the state. 

The issues at the South Carolina smelter were caused by equipment that failed prematurely and were dealt with immediately, said Chris Goddard, who works in Global Environmental Policy and Compliance Assurance for Century Aluminum. 

In Kentucky, Century Aluminum has received roughly 30 violations in the last 12 years for exceeding emissions limits, improperly managing hazardous waste, administrative issues with emergency plans for the facility, testing and monitoring problems, and water quality issues, according to records from the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection. Some violations led to civil penalties. 

Cheena Pazzo, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma project, said previous violations in Kentucky and South Carolina have been addressed, and the company has taken “proactive action to avoid future events.” 

Get our journalism in your inbox

Investigative reporting for Oklahoma. Free to read. Supported by donors.

Email address

Sign up

We respect your inbox. Unsubscribe anytime.

Leave this field empty if you're human:

“Modern smelters like Inola are now built with the benefit or learning from older smelting technology and have early-detection capabilities that help avoid such events in the future,” Pazzo said. 

In January, Century Aluminum announced it was partnering with Emirates Global Aluminum, a foreign-owned company, to build the Oklahoma smelter. The project, dubbed Oklahoma Primary Aluminum, would be located at the Tulsa Port of Inola. Century Aluminum owns 40% of the project, while Emirates Global Aluminum owns 60%. 

State officials have praised the project, which has promised to create 1,000 permanent jobs, 4,000 construction jobs and to bring in over $1 billion in state and local tax revenue over 30 years. The aluminum will be used to make cars, in energy infrastructure and for construction. 

The project has faced increasing local opposition in the last few months. 

A large crowd packed into the Inola High School fine arts center on March 26 for an open house hosted by the companies behind Oklahoma Primary Aluminum, including Century Aluminum and the environmental consulting firm on the project. 

Company representatives were stationed around the room next to posters promoting the project. People, some wearing bright blue “Stop the Inola Smelter” shirts, filtered through the displays, pressing company representatives to answer questions about the project. 

“Would you want to live by this?” Sarah Free, a property owner within one mile of the proposed smelter location, asked a representative with Oklahoma Primary Aluminum. Free said one of her children has asthma, and she’s concerned about the smelter pumping pollutants into the air. 

“I understand your concerns,” the representative told Free. “I have a six-year-old at home, and I would not hesitate to live right next door.” The man directed questions from The Frontier to a media representative for the company. 

One company poster addressing environmental concerns said the project would stay in compliance with federal and state regulations meant to limit harm to humans, livestock and the environment. 

Matt Peters, a nearby resident, said he’s asked about specific equipment that would be used at the facility and which contractors would be used to build the smelter. But Peters said the companies told him it’s too early in the process to have all the answers. 

“They’re making claims that they can’t follow up on,” Peters said. 

In February, Century Aluminum said in a press release that the plant would be built with new technology developed by Emirates Global Aluminum that is “amongst the most advanced and efficient in the world.” The smelter would use less electricity, have continuous emissions monitoring and advanced ventilation systems, Pazzo said. 

The economic boost to the area was a primary driver for Tulsa Ports to pursue the project, which was highly sought after by other states, said Andrew Ralston, director of economic development for Tulsa Ports. The Tulsa Port of Inola sits within Inola city limits. 

The project is also undergoing an environmental and social impact assessment, which is not required, to be “responsive to community input and to protect community health, wellbeing, property and livelihoods,” Ralston said. 

Aluminum production is a major source of greenhouse gas pollution. Century Aluminum received a $500-million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2024 to build a lower-emissions facility. In 2025, President Donald Trump announced a partnership with the United Arab Emirates that included plans for a new aluminum smelter. Oklahoma officials quickly created a new incentive program for large-scale manufacturing projects to try to attract the smelter project, and last May, Emirates Global Aluminum announced it had chosen Oklahoma for a new smelter. 

The project is expected to receive a $255 million incentive package from the state after meeting certain metrics, like creating the jobs that were promised, Pazzo said. Other incentives like tax credits and property tax exemptions could also apply to the project, and the city of Inola has created a tax increment financing district in 2025 to support the project. 

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality said in a press release that the project has applied for an air quality permit for the construction phase. Representatives from Emirates Global Aluminum and the state will provide information about the permitting process at a public meeting on April 23 at the Inola HIgh School fine arts center. 

The proposed Oklahoma smelter would double the United States’ primary aluminum production. Construction on the project is expected to begin sometime later this year. A third company, U.S. Aluminum Company, has said it will explore the development of an aluminum fabrication plant near the new smelter.