Century Aluminum Company is a global producer of primary aluminum and operates
aluminum reduction facilities, or "smelters," in the United States
and Iceland. Our primary aluminum facilities produce standard grade and value-added
primary aluminum products.
In addition to our primary aluminum assets, we also own a carbon anode production
facility located in the Netherlands ("Vlissingen") and hold a 40%
interest in Baise Haohai Carbon Co., Ltd. ("BHH"), a joint venture
that owns and operates a carbon anode and cathode facility located in the Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region of south China. Carbon anodes are used in the production
of primary aluminum and both BHH and Vlissingen currently supply carbon anodes
to our smelter in Grundartangi, Iceland.
We operate our business through one reportable segment, primary aluminum. Additional
information about our segment reporting and certain geographic information is
available in Note 18 Business segments to the consolidated financial statements
included herein.
Century Aluminum Company is a Delaware corporation with principal executive
offices located at One South Wacker Drive, Suite 1000, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
Strategic Objective
Our strategic objective is to maximize the financial returns we generate for
our stockholders by: (a) optimizing our safety and environmental performance;
(b) improving our cost structure for our existing assets by managing costs and
improving productivity and efficiency; (c) pursuing upstream investment opportunities
in bauxite mining, alumina refining and the production of other key operating
supplies; and (d) expanding our primary aluminum business by improving and investing
in the facilities we currently own as well as constructing, investing in or
acquiring additional capacity.
Primary Aluminum Facilities
Overview of Facilities
We operate three U.S. aluminum smelters, in Hawesville, Kentucky ("Hawesville"),
Robards, Kentucky ("Sebree") and Mt. Holly, South Carolina ("Mt.
Holly"), and one smelter in Grundartangi, Iceland ("Grundartangi").
In July 2015, we announced the permanent closure of our Ravenswood facility,
located adjacent to the Ohio River near Ravenswood, West Virginia. Operation
of the Ravenswood facility has been curtailed since 2009.
Grundartangi
The Grundartangi facility, located in Grundartangi, Iceland, is a primary aluminum
reduction facility owned and operated by our wholly-owned subsidiary, Nordural
Grundartangi ehf, and is our most modern facility. Grundartangi is currently
in the process of a multi-year expansion project that has brought the annual
capacity from 280,000 tonnes to current capacity of 312,000 tonnes (2015 volume)
and is expected to increase annual production capacity to approximately 325,000
tonnes. Grundartangi produces standard-grade aluminum and a primary foundry
alloy product, which is a value-added product that is sold at a premium to standard-grade.
Grundartangi operates under various long-term permits and agreements with the
Government of Iceland, local municipalities and Faxafloahafnir sf (which operates
the harbor at Grundartangi and is jointly owned by several municipalities).
In connection with the expansion project, in the fourth quarter of 2015, Grundartangi
received a new operating permit that allows annual production of up to 350,000
tonnes.
Hawesville
Hawesville, located adjacent to the Ohio River near Hawesville, Kentucky, is
a primary aluminum reduction facility owned and operated by our wholly-owned
subsidiary, Century Kentucky, Inc. ("CAKY"). Hawesville has an annual
production capacity of approximately 252,000 tonnes. Hawesville is our largest
U.S. smelter and the largest producer of high purity primary aluminum in North
America. Four of Hawesvilles five potlines are specially configured and operated
to produce high purity primary aluminum. The average purity level of primary
aluminum produced by these potlines is 99.9%, compared to standard-purity aluminum
which is approximately 99.7%. High purity primary aluminum is sold at a premium
to standard-purity aluminum. Hawesville’s specially configured facility
is also capable of providing high-conductivity metal used in electrical wire
and cable products as well as for certain aerospace applications. In the fourth
quarter of 2015, Hawesville curtailed approximately 60% of its capacity. At
its reduced capacity, Hawesville is expected to primarily produce high-purity
aluminum and provide molten metal to Glencore for ultimate delivery to local
customers in 2016.
Sebree
Sebree, located adjacent to the Green River near Robards, Kentucky, is a primary
aluminum reduction facility owned and operated by our wholly-owned subsidiary,
Century Aluminum Sebree LLC ("Century Sebree"). Sebree has an annual
production capacity of approximately 218,000 tonnes. Sebree produces standard-grade
aluminum that is cast into sow and value-added products, including billet, which
is a value-added product that is sold at a premium to sow. In 2015, approximately
95% of Sebrees production was value-added products.
In addition to our primary aluminum assets, we also own a carbon anode production
facility located in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, and a 40% interest in BHH,
a joint venture that owns and operates a carbon anode and cathode facility located
in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of south China.
Vlissingen
Vlissingen, located in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, is a carbon anode production
facility owned and operated by Century Aluminum Vlissingen B.V. Production at
Vlissingen, which had been curtailed by its previous owner, was restarted in
late 2013 with an initial annual carbon anode production capacity of 75,000
tonnes. In 2015, we completed our project to expand its annual production capacity
to 145,000 tonnes.
Baise Haohai Carbon Company, Ltd.
BHH is a carbon anode and cathode facility located in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region of south China. The facility began operations in 2008. BHH is operated
as a joint venture between one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, which owns
a 40% stake in the company, and Guangxi Qiangqiang Carbon Co., Ltd., which holds
the remaining 60% ownership interest and is the operator of this facility. The
BHH facility has an annual carbon anode production capacity of 180,000 tonnes
and an annual cathode baking and graphitization capacity of 20,000 tonnes.
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